Alea Iacta Est
by CryoSunkyh
Summary: Roxas Heart got sick of his foster homes. After leaving, he tries pick the wrong pocket. Now he has been draged into an underground world of lies, drugs, and gambling with no way out. But does he even want out? I DON"T OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!  M for later
1. Chapter 1

_(A/N: The people aren't mine, but this story is. Don't copy it. E sekrd gemm oui ev oui tu.)_

Roxas took a deep breath before stepping into the store. After three months, he had thought that this would have gotten easier. Maybe villainy wasn't in his blood. He looked up at the girl sitting behind the cash register and smiled when she waved. Walking over to the canned-goods isle, he glanced at the labels. Some mixed fruit was good, and so was tuna. He tucked a few cans into his hoodie then headed to get a box of crackers. A few minutes later, he walked up to the cashier with a two-litter of Root Beer in hand.

"Hey there, mister," the girl said with a grin, a mischievous gleam in her light indigo eyes. She looked at him critically, making him very uncomfortable. From the pencil behind her ear and the sketch book on the counter, he guessed she was an art major. That meant an eye for detail and a good memory. "I don't think I've seen you before. New?"

"Uh, yeah… I just got here a few days ago," Roxas grinned sheepishly. She was a pretty girl, with medium blonde hair draped over one shoulder and a delicate-looking figure. He glanced at her nametag.

Namine took the two-litter from him and rang it up. "You know, I didn't think you looked so chunky when you walked in."

The boy laughed at her, pulling out the money to pay her. It took his last three dollars. "Don't sugarcoat it, just tell me what you mean."

The girl giggled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I didn't mean to be blunt. It gets lonely running graveyard shifts, and I forget my manners sometimes. Here's your change, mister…?"

"Roxas. Roxas Heart."

"Well, Roxas, maybe you can come see me every now and then? Here," she said, using her pencil to write on the back of the receipt. "Call me, okay? I could set you up with an interview, too, if your interested in working with me."

He took in her too-sweet smile and chuckled. "Yeah, maybe. See ya."

"Bye."

Once outside, Roxas smiled broadly and held back a laugh. He got away with theft because the girl wanted a date? Go figure. With a shake of his head, the last of the irony faded, leaving him with a blank look. He started toward his 'home'. It wasn't long before he was in the alley way, digging in his shoebox full of useful knick knacks for the can opener he had taken from his old house. He was just starting to eat when he heard a loud bang behind him, followed by a small shriek.

He looked over his shoulder curiously, his fork full of tuna still in his mouth. There was a boy there, staring at a toppled trash can like it was about to explode. The boy then turned his wide, blue eyes to Roxas. The scared look faded into longing when he noticed the pile of cans set up next to him. "Um… I don't suppose I could have one?" He asked, scratching his mess of chocolate spikes.

Roxas smiled a little around the fork and tossed the boy a can of pears. "I can spare a can. I take it you haven't been on the streets long, have you?"

The boy's smile was bright enough to light the city. "No. It's only been a few days since I left," he looked at the can quizzically for a minute and opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, Roxas pointed to the little shoebox that held the can opener and another fork. "Thanks." They sat in silence for a moment as the brunet shoveled the sliced pears in, drinking the syrup.

"So, are you a veteran?" the boy asked, gesturing around at the dirty walls to indicate what he meant. When Roxas nodded, he asked, "How long?"

"Oh, say… four months? Close to that."

"Any advise?"

Roxas thought for a moment. "Go back to your house and get some of your stuff, and necessities. Like your blanket, clothes, and at least a hundred dollars. You'll go through it quickly; I had quite a bit when I started, but now I'm down to fifty cents."

"Uh? Really? How do you get by, then?"

"Pick-pocketing and theft, mostly," he sighed. "I'm not proud of it."

The brunet shook his head. "How long have you been doing that?"

"Most of the time I've been out here."

"Any tips? Just incase I have to do that too?"

"Don't pick anyone in skinny jeans, never out of the front pocket, and buy something before you leave the store. It will lower the suspicion" He answered, after a pause. Then he lifted one of the cans. "Only get non-perishables and take the labels off of the cans. That will keep the alarm from going off. Lastly, don't think of it as a crime. If you do, the guilt will drive you crazy."

"What is it then?"

"Charity. They're giving to the less fortunate so that we don't starve in the streets. It's the city's fault that we have to do it like that, anyway. They don't even have a proper homeless shelter." Roxas huffed, remembering that he had spent his first week out here looking for a soup kitchen that didn't exist.

The boy scowled at that. "That isn't fair. We've got to be the only big city without one! I'll remember that for future reference." They sat quietly again, both lost in their thoughts.

"Can I ask a personal question?," Roxas paused, taking in his new companions Hollister shirt and American Eagle jeans. The boy set aside his now empty can and nodded. "Why did you leave? You look like you were well off…"

The boy shrank back a bit, adverting his eyes. "It was because of my dad. He has been rather…. What's the word for it? Neglective, maybe? Hmmm…." He sighed and shook his head. "He's just out of it, I think. I'll go back in a few weeks and see if this has helped him any."

"How would you running away help him?"

"He said he wanted to be alone." the boy replied with a shrug. "It's a win/win really. I haven't been to keen to keep him company."

"But why?" Roxas pressed. When the brunet fidgeted a little, he amended, "I mean, you don't have to answer it if it's too personal; I'm just really curious."

The boy smiled softly, still seeming unsure. "It's okay. It's because my mom recently passed away. I mean, Dad had always been a little distant, but now it's really bad. We barely talk, and when we do, it ends in fighting. So I figured we both needed some time away from each other to mourn properly."

Roxas blanched. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, really. I don't mind talking about it if you return the favor." He leaned in, like he was waiting for his favorite story. "Why are you out here?"

The blond felt his fingers twitch, thinking about his parents. "It's a long story. The short version is that my parents got caught up with the wrong people. For the past three years I've been bouncing from foster home to foster home, and I finally got sick of it. The things in that box are the only things I got to keep from my real home."

"Oh, wow. Dude, that sucks. Are they in jail?"

"I doubt it. I haven't gotten any letters or news from the police. On the other hand, there wasn't a funeral either. So, I honestly don't know. It doesn't matter anymore, at any rate." He shrugged and leaned forward on his knees. The brunet didn't seem convinced, but let it slide. Finally, he stood and smiled a little.

"Well, thanks for the food. I think I'll head back over to my own box and curl up in my blankets before it gets too cold. I'm sorry for intruding."

"It's fine. It was nice to have some company, other than the rats."

"R-rats?"

Roxas nodded, trying not to laugh at the boy's paled expression. "They're always trying to steal my food, so I set up a 'fence' around me to help keep them out. It works okay, but it's not fool proof."

"Nothing is fool proof, my friend, we mindless folk are ingenious." he replied, easily getting over his discomfort with another sunny grin. They both laughed. As he was starting to walk away, the boy let out a surprised 'oh' and turned back. "What's your name?"

"Roxas Heart. Your's?"

"Sora Jones. It was nice to meet you."

Roxas nodded, "Nice to meet you, too."

Once Sora was out of sight, he went about setting the gate to keep out any stray rodents, encircling himself with boxes and empty trash cans. Before settling down with his blanket and pillow, Roxas looked to the sky. The moon was visible but the closest thing to a star was the airplane lights.

He let his mind wander back to when life was good. His old farm house, miles away from the sounds of cars and flashing lights. Thousands of stars were out as soon as the sun was under the horizon. His parents would let him sleep out on the grass when it was warm, just so he could point out the well-known constellations.

He sighed lightly, remembering his mother's homemade icing and his father's old Cadillac out in the garage. They had smiled often and spoiled him rotten with anything that he had wanted. Roxas admitted that he had taken his parents for granted. Now, he missed the simplest things about them, like how they would all watch _It's a Wonderful Life _every Christmas eve or their game nights on the fifteenth of every month. It had seemed so ridiculous then….

He fell asleep right as the first tear slipped from his eye.


	2. Chapter 2

_(A/N: Eddie Izzard refreince. I don't own that or the song listed. Tho, I really wish I did.)_

The next day came and Roxas tiredly tried to work the knots out of his back. He pulled on his least dirty clothes before eating some of the crackers with a sip of soda. It was Sunday morning so the streets would be flooded: the perfect time to get his allowance. "Paopu Street is always a good place to try, with all the people commuting to and from church," he thought aloud, tilting his head back. "Then again, there's that market on Twilight Avenue this week. Maybe they won't have given all their money to tithe."

Roxas went toward the market. The streets were worn down on this side of town, with thick cracks in the cement and broken stoplights. All the cars were trashed and the buildings were falling apart. Some were so bad that Roxas was sure living there wouldn't be any better than the alley.

Once he was into the better part of town, more people were out. He looked carefully at each one, taking in their clothes to see which ones had money. He saw a few potentials, but he came to a halt when he saw _him_. The man was tall, with spiked crimson hair partially covered by a fedora, teardrop tattoos under each eye, and a wallet three-inches thick bulging in his back pocket. He was at a booth, chatting idly with the merchant. It would be hard to snatch now, but worth the wait. There had to be enough money there to keep him from his… um… charity work for at least a month, if it wasn't all in ones.

The blond walked over to a close by booth calmly, pretending to be interested in the dream-catchers and beaded bracelets on the folding card tables. The red head leaned in towards the girl with a wide grin and whispered to her so she turned red.

"Oh, you," she batted with a giggle. "I can't do that. My husband would kill me and you well know it!"

"Aerith, he wouldn't care that much. Zack is a pacifist now; he wouldn't poke you, let alone hit you," the man purred, staring at her with his catty, chartreuse eyes. "Besides, he was in this business once and knows how addictive it is. He can't hold one night against you, right?"

The woman shook her head, fingering her long brown braid over her shoulder. "He can, Axel. Especially since we have a child. We can't get wrapped backed up in that. It was hard enough to get out the first time. Besides, we don't want to end up like the Roystons."

Axel's face fell and his playful smirk vanished. He was quiet for a moment then stood straight and nodded, "R-right. I can understand that. I don't want to be in that situation either…."

They stood together, looking off in different directions. Roxas held up a necklace, to watch the crystal on it sparkle in the sun. His own head was full with the conversation, trying to piece it together. What could they have been so caught up in? _And,_ he wondered, _why does 'Royston' sound so familiar?_

He put the jewelry back down and started off, recognizing that his target probably wouldn't stay much longer. He waited at the next booth over for a full ten minutes before Axel waved Aerith goodbye. The blond made sure to follow two booths behind, so he wouldn't be seen but he could see the red head. Truthfully, Roxas could have let himself fall back more and still keep an eye on the man, who stood head and shoulders above everyone.

Once the man was sufficiently occupied looking at tie-dyed shirts, Roxas got closer. He walked by casually, discreetly grabbing the corner of the wallet and pulling it out as he passed. Unfortunately, the slacks weren't as loose as the name implied.

"It's not very nice to do that, you know," the man said, grabbing Roxas' wrist. "That's my paycheck you're trying to walk off with."

Roxas dropped the wallet in shock. "Uh… um," he stammered, forcing his eyes to water. _Got to put on a good act to keep the cops out of the picture._ He let his bottom lip quiver, trying to look as pathetic as possible. Axel's eyes went wide and his ears turned pink. "I'm…. I'm s-sorry!" he exclaimed before allowing himself to start to wail.

At first, Axel couldn't think of anything to do. The blond let his knees buckle and he fell forward with the man still holding his wrist firmly. The red head fumbled for words, trying his best to keep the kid off of the ground. "Hey, look. I just want to keep my money. You shouldn't take it so hard. Calm down, I don't know how to handle crying people."

Roxas sniffled, stifling a grin. He glanced around at the people watching Axel with heavy glares. "I-I'm really s-s-sorry, mister. Can… um… can we talk somewhere else?" he asked nervously. Axel nodded, picked up his wallet and carted Roxas off to a park not far off. On their way, Axel did his best to calm the boy down. He felt bad for scaring him so much and desperately wanted the tears to stop.

Roxas let Axel put his arm around his shoulders and pull him along. He kept his eyes adverted so he didn't fall out of character. With a good story, he could get a meal and a few bucks at least. Maybe even some new clothes. The quality of the after-party all depended on the show, after all.

"Alright, short-stack," Axel said, depositing his would-be thief on a bench. The place was still pretty packed, but no one here would care about their presents if the boy didn't breakdown again. "Why exactly were you trying to steal my wallet?"

"W-well… I'm homeless." Roxas sniffled again, trying to sound like he was ashamed. "I was desperate for money. I haven't had any _really_ meals in… awhile."

The red head's eyebrows tilted up worriedly. "How long have you been on the street?"

"A l-little over f-four months," Roxas whispered, tilting his head down to hide his eyes, sucking in his bottom lip to chew on.

"How'd you end up here to begin with?"

Roxas flinched. He hated that question. "My house was destroyed in a fire," he lied easily. "Everything I had is gone. Even my parents. The only stuff I have left is what I had taken to Hayner's house that night."

Axel was quiet for a long time, unsure of how to proceed. He wasn't heartless enough to leave the kid out in the cold, in the middle of September no less, but he wasn't sure that the boy could handle the alternative. Still, maybe it was just from the stress of being by himself for so long. "What's your name?"

"I'm… Roxas Heart."

A little light flashed through Axel's eyes when he heard the name. He grinned. "Oh? Well, rocks ass, I've got a proposition for you. If you can fill this cap," he gestured towards the hat on his head, "with money, I will forgive you, and I'll get you a job. Boarding included."

"How am I going to do that?"

"Street performing. All you have to do is stand here, sing, and hold this out to passersby. Okay?"

The blond bit his lip, nibbling it in thought. He didn't like singing, performing, nor did he know many songs. Still, he didn't want the police to drag him back into the foster care system so he nodded. "What song?"

Axel shrugged. "Improvise."

The boy thought for a moment before he cleared his throat and wiped his eyes dry. He stood on the bench to call people's attention to him. Roxas hesitated, before starting to sing _Wait for You_ by Elliot Yamin. It had been his parents' favorite song, and he had listened to it excessively over the years since their deaths. As he lost himself in the words, a group of people surrounded him listening with shocked and sad faces. Roxas assumed they were coming off of bad break ups or confused as to why his eyes were red.

By the time he was done, three girls had started crying, four were caught on re-bound, and the hat was full. Axel had milled around a little but was still relatively close. Roxas thanked everyone for the donations and stepped down once the crowd started to disperse.

"Wow, Roxas. That was really good. If you could sing like that, why didn't you ever perform for money? You wouldn't need to steal."

He looked up at Axel, confusedly. "Uh? Oh, right," he glanced back at the cement, stumbling back into reality. "I don't really like singing," he lied with a shrug. Well, it was more of an untruth. He liked singing, but it reminded him of his mother and her lullabys. "It never occurred to me that I should make a career out of it."

Axel noted the sudden sudden lack of dramtics in the boy's sad demeanor, but ignored it. "Well, we should get you fed. I'll take you to your new abode."

He nodded and followed the red head. They made their way back through the market and halfway downtown before stepping onto Oblivion Drive. They had long since left the residential area, opting instead for high-class hotels and flashing casinos. This was the city's own personal Las Vegas. Everything was bright, flashy, and slightly trashed. Axel lead him far past what Roxas had ever dared to go himself, keeping a firm arm around him. They came to a tall white building with Victorian-style spires and light gray shingles. The windows were tall and thin, some adorned with stained glass. It was beautiful, imposing, and flat out creepy.

"Here we are!" the red head exclaimed, pointing to the bright sign. It wasn't neon, like most of the rest, but done in calligraphy with bright lights set under to illuminate it when the sun set. "Hotel Oblivion, home, sweet home!"

"You _live_ here?"

"I do, yes, but some of the other workers choose to go to different places and use their rooms here only when necessary. Most of them live in this part of town though."

Roxas gaped at the huge double doors, intricately carved with a twisting ivy design. They walked in, finding the inside just as pristine white as the outside, a lit candle chandelier that dripped diamonds, and Roman style statues lining the walls. The blond stood right outside the door. This was not the place for a sixteen year-old, let alone a _homeless_ sixteen year-old.

"Come on, Roxy. If we don't hurry, we're going to miss it," Axel urged, dragging the reluctant boy along.

"Roxy?"

Axel grinned down at him, his catty eyes shinning. Roxas noticed that he was wearing eyeliner. Huh. "Yeah, sorry. I tend to nickname people and once you have one, you never escape it. You might as well get it legally changed."

"Um… no. I'm good," Roxas looked behind him, hoping he wasn't tracking dirt across the carpet. Seeing it clear, he turned back to his new friend. "What are we going to be late for?"

The man laughed and pretended to lock his lips shut. The blond sighed, "Is this a bad time to say, I don't like surprises?"

"What are you saying? In the words of Willy Wonka, 'the best kind of prize is a SUR-prize.'"

"Please, no pop-culture references that I don't understand."

"Just wait and see."

Roxas consented. They stepped into an elevator and Axel pressed the top button. On the way up, they both stood and looked straight at the doors. Roxas fidgeted under Axel's hand, still draped over his shoulders, then he remembered something. "Did you ever tell me your name?" he blurted, not wanting him to know that he had been listening in on his conversations.

Axel started and looked like a deer in the headlights before laughing. "Nope. You just followed a man you don't know into the down town district, which is notorious for it's drugs and gangs. I could have been selling you into some S&M trade system, and you would have never known."

"S&M?" Roxas asked, pressing his eyebrows together.

"Try not to think too hard," Axel giggled. "Back on point, My name is Axel Brandt. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

Roxas nodded slightly, "Sure. Should I be calling you Axel you Mr. Brandt?"

That threw Axel into another laughing fit. "Please. Calling me 'mister' anything implies I'm a responsible adult. Jesus, Roxy, you're _funny_. Me, the guy bringing some homeless under-aged boy back to my hotel room, being _responsible!_"

The blond thought about it for a moment, his cheeks turning a little pink at the insinuation, before nodding. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

The elevator stopped and the red head lead Roxas down the snowy hall, the last of his chuckles fading. They came to a door numbered 813 and Axel pulled out his key. This hotel had the standard card system, only one end of the blue card was pointed in a way that reminded Roxas of a crown.

Once the door was open, Roxas had to hold back a gasp. He had been expecting a white room, just as pristine as the rest of the building. Instead he was presented with some messed up gentlemen's club. There was a slight haze of cigar-smoke and a large living area with a flat-screen television and couch with a silver haired man sprawled across it, clutching a bottle. The bed was pushed against the maroon colored wall and the lights were dimmed to half their strength. In the middle was round table, almost completely occupied by people in various stages of undress and covered in playing cards. Everyone was laughing at a blond man with a weird mullet-like haircut taking off his pants, showing boxers covered with Squirtles form Pokemon. Behind a fully stocked bar in the kitchenette was another man, who was occupied with cleaning a glass.

When they heard the door click shut, they all turned towards the door. The sandy blond flushed a deeper red than he had been and covered his face with his hands, causing his jeans to drop completely and pool at his ankles. Axel waved happily at them all, before pointing at the short blond trying to hide behind him.

"Hey everyone, this is Roxas. Roxy, this is every one." The red head stated simply. Roxas nodded at them all as Axel set an extra chair up for him. He sat down, staring uneasily at the table. The sandy blond smiled at him and sat down, kicking his jeans off to the side, happy to have some new company.

"Well, hi there, Roxy! I'm Demyx! And this is my boyfriend, Zexion!," he leaned over and pulled a slate haired man into his arms. He put up with the abuse, and smiled a little, or at least Roxas thought he did. He could only see half of the man's face. Zexion waved to him and collected the cards form everyone. "He's a boring old accountant. You think that's lame too, right?"

"Shut up, you water-logged moron," a blonde girl growled, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. When she let it go it snapped back over her head, reminding Roxas of antennas. "Axel, I thought Xigbar was the pedo. What are you doing with a five year-old attached to you?"

"Jealous that I can get a boy-toy and you can't, eh, Larxene?" Axel sneered. Roxas turned a little red.

"And I'm not a pedophile!" huffed a man with a salt and pepper ponytail and eye patch over his right eye. He slouched back in his chair and pouted a little before giving a wide smile to Roxas, causing the scar on his cheek to stretch oddly. "Yo!"

"Uh, hi." Roxas tilted his head a little.

"You're scaring the poor thing," said a blond man with a dozen piercings in his ears. His accent was thick and decidedly British. He turned to Roxas with a drunken hiccup, "'Ello, duck. You ever play poker?"

Before he could answer, Axel shook his head. "He's homeless. I doubt he's got the money to gamble, Luxord."

The Brit smiled brightly and held up his glass to the bartender, "Vexen, be darling a get me a spirit, would you?"

The bartender rolled his eyes but started to search the shelves for the right liquors. He turned back to the group. "Riku, did you drink all the fruit brandy?"

The silver haired man on the couch held up the bottle in his hand. It was apparently what Vexen was looking for because he sighed and shook his head. Luxord scowled and Xigbar cracked up laughing. Larxene smirked nastily, "Riku, you're going to destroy your liver with all this drinking lately. Whatever it is you're so upset about can't be worth slowly dying over. Go get the shotgun and do it quickly."

"Screw yourself, cockroach. No one here needs the bitching," The man replied smoothly. He lowered the half empty bottle and took a swig. "Just deal the cards; I'm in this round."

"You can take my seat." Demyx offered, getting out of the chair and forcing his way into the accountant's lap. Zexion consented easily. "I would like my boxers to stay put until Zex an' I get to our room."

"What about you, duck?" asked Luxord, shuffling the cards. Roxas acted unsure, anticipating some fun with playing. The Brit smiled and passed him a stack of chips. Well, Club crackers to be exact. Apparently they weren't allowed to play with real money. "Here, I'll lend you a starter stack. If you lose a hand, then you have to take off one article of clothing, okay?"

Roxas nodded. He got his hand and looked over his cards. He had a straight, but he gave an exaggerated grimace. He saw Luxord smirk and toss in most of his crackers, leaving two. Zexion was completely blank and threw in about five. Xigbar and Larxene went all in, but Axel folded right away. He took off his shirt and winked at Roxas. "I'm just getting caught up with everyone else. Maybe you should do the same."

However, Roxas put in half of his crackers, causing Axel to sigh. "You're not going to be in the game long, Roxy."

It was time to show their cards, Roxas waited. Luxord smiled widely again, "Four of a kind, ducks."

Everyone groaned and threw their cards at the table. Luxord laughed and turned to Roxas. Seeing him chewing his bottom lip made the Brit smirk. "C'mon now. I got to see 'em before I can collect."

Roxas hesitated, dipping his head. Then a small and devious grin touched his lips. He set his cards on the table, spread. "Straight flush trumps four of a kind, _duck_. I win. And Axel?" he said, looking at the astonished red head. "Don't assume things. It's bad for your bank account."

Axel smiled a little before everyone looked at Luxord. He had paled and dropped his jaw, slack on the table. His eyes were the size of plates. "I… lost? B-but, that's not possible. I-I've never… _lost_… at gambling of any kind. _Especially not poker_!" He looked at the smug grin on Roxas' face. "You're inhuman. You _beat me!"_

"Has that never happened?"

"Nope. Roxas, you just broke his _thirteen year_ winning streak," Demyx said, admiration in his turquoise eyes. Even Zexion looked obviously shocked.

Xigbar suddenly stood and pointed at Roxas. "You have to join us!"

"Um," Roxas smiled shyly, not understanding the sudden mood change or why Luxord was in tears. "Axel said he was going to get me a job here. So I have joined, right?"

The man smiled. "As if! I'm not talking about vacuuming and room service."

"Shorty, we're gamblers," Larxene interrupted. "We work under the city in a group called the Black Jacks. It's a lame name I know. What he means is, do you want to work the casinos with Lux?"

The blond boy hesitated. "What does that entail?"

"A family, a home, ninety percent of what you win, and pretty much anything else you want."

"And the bad things? Why are you even doing it?"

Axel took over, placing a hand on Roxas' shoulder. "We do it for the fun. The hours are flexible, the pay is good, and the work is entertaining. The only downside is that you're not old enough to work the casinos yet. You have to work to that point. You'll start off as a go-for or page-boy. We still need to get permission though."

"From who?"

"Mansex."

"…Well that's nice and all, but it doesn't answer my question." Roxas deadpanned. Everyone started laughing, save the blond man under the table.

"Actually," Vexen chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye, "It does. That's the common name for our superior, Xemnas."

Roxas puckered his lips and puffed his cheeks in a childish manner. "Oh."

Xigbar leaned on the table, "But once he hears you beat Luxord, he'll definitely let you in the Black Jacks. So, no worries, dude. Until then you can bunk with-"

"Me," Axel stated blandly, sending a glare at Xigbar. "He's not a fuck buddy, so step off, Captain One-eye."

The other man lifted his hands, "I was totally gonna say you! Don't jump the gun like that, Pyro."

"Yeah, sure."

Zexion cleared his throat, "Can we please just let the boy answer and continue the game?"

All eyes turned to Roxas. The blond thought for awhile, but it wasn't much of a choice. An alley filled with rats or a heated hotel? It's like asking 'cake or death.'

"I'll take a stab at it, I guess."

"Good," Axel smiled, along with Larxene, Xigbar, and Demyx. Riku and Zexion looked content (until the silverett was hit by a now-empty liqur bottle, curtesy of Vexen). Then they turned to the ever-depressed Luxord. "Now who's going to collect the cards he tossed?"


	3. Chapter 3

_(A/N: I am SOOOOOO sorry about taking so long to update. I got grounded -_-)_

"…I don't believe you."

"I'm not joking, Roxy. Not that you don't look good in my clothes, but they're too big for you. This is completely necessary."

"No, it isn't. I can just go back to my alley and get my old clothes," the blond hissed, swatting Demyx' hands away. The man huffed then threw the tape measure at Axel with a shake of his head, signaling that he couldn't get an accurate number for the waist and was giving up. "They're fine, they just need washed."

The red head sighed, thoughtfully rubbing one of his tattoos. "Look, kid. You can't dress like that here. This building is black tie, got it memorized? You have to dress up to stay here. So just stand the fuck still and be a man."

"I'm not against some new clothes. It's just too expensive to have my wardrobe custom made. We don't even know if I'm really going to work here. This is a test run, to see if I can handle the work. Besides, I'm a teenager; that Xemnas guy you work for probably won't want me running around," Roxas scrunched up his face and switched to a falsetto, pointing at his temple with his middle finger. "Got it memorized?"

Demyx snorted loudly causing Axel to smack him upside his head. He turned back to Roxas and mumbled, "I think I liked you better when you were feeling guilty."

"I wasn't feeling guilty; I was playing the pity card. You felt bad about my circumstance and didn't call the cops. I win. Really, my only regret about that was that I got caught."

"Heartless bastard."

"Soulless ginger."

The two glared at each other calmly for a long moment. Demyx stopped giggling and looked between them. It was like watching a thunderstorm brewing. He back up to the wall and inched towards the door. He opened it enough to stick his head out. Xigbar, Zexion, and Larxene were outside, waiting for them so they could go to the store to order the uniform. "Sorry this is taking so long, but it might take another ten or twenty minutes. They look like they're going to ki-"

His apology was cut short by a loud and extremely unhappy squeal. He looked back, only to find that Axel had tackled Roxas and was attempting to get his shoes off. The boy was kicking at him viciously, but to no avail. "I hope you're ticklish!" Axel shouted, wrapping his finger around Roxas' ring toe. As soon as he had, the blond squeaked loudly and thrashed around harder. Demyx let everyone else in so they knew that no one was dieing.

"A-Axel! Get the- the h-hell _off_," Roxas stammered between laughs. When the man refused, he reached up and grabbed a large chunk of crimson hair and yanked. Axel yelped and jumped away, grabbing the back of his head. The freed blond crawled away and curled his legs underneath him. His giggling didn't die away and he had trouble getting a decent 'mad face'. "I hate you _so_ much."

Demyx picked up the type measure again and knelt next to Roxas. "Can we get this over with before he goes for the other foot?"

He hesitated but in the end, he knew it was futile. He stood, lifted his arms, and let the taller blond get his measurements. It was done in five minutes and Demyx smiled brightly to the others. "Now all that's left is to actually _get_ the stuff."

"If those two start brawling in the store, I'm disowning all of you," Larxene crossed her arms in emphasis. Everyone flinched a little, much to Roxas' confusion. The woman saw this and reached into her back pocket. She pulled out a little device that had two short metal tongs on it. When she pressed the trigger, a bridge of blue light crossed between them. "To 'disown' means to 'shock in the genitals until there is no hope of functioning'."

Roxas laughed nervously and went to hug Axel close. "Wha? Why would I fight with Axel? He's just too loveable for that! Heh heh."

"I have a better idea!" Xigbar announce, jumping up to stand on the bed.

"Get your nasty old ass off of my bed or I'll take out your good eye." Axel stated, not bothering to glare.

Xigbar jumped off the bed. "We've wasted almost a whole hour on this. Let's go have a party! I say, we head to the race track!"

They all perked up instantly, leaving Roxas confused again. Zexion pulled a thin black journal out of his pocket and looked over something. "We have enough in the funding that if we each bet up to four-hundred, and all lose, we'll still have enough to get Roxas some reasonable clothes. I'll even pay for good seats up in the restaurant. However, when all is said and done, this is his money. It's his choice."

Everyone looked at him like he held the answer to solve world hunger. "Well, I'm pretty much against the clothes to begin with, so my vote is for the track I guess. Can't be worse than some fancy suit shop, right?"

"Why'd you say it like that?" Demyx asked.

"I've never been."

Xigbar gave him a skeptical once over. "Is this like when you said you had never played poker?"

"First off, I wasn't the one who said that, Axel was," Roxas grinned slyly. "Second, I only knew how to play that because Dad would let me go to his poker nights; I was never aloud to go to the track. They didn't like it and I wasn't old enough to go alone."

Demyx grabbed the smaller blond's shoulders and shook him harshly, looking like he was going to have a heart attack "How can you say you're living? You poor man!"

Axel pulled Roxas up into his lap out of the sandy blond's grasp. "Cool your jets, Dem-dem. It just means that we get to devirginize him. You know, it's always fun to witness someone's first time watching the gates open."

Larxene nodded dreamily, "It is. I remember watching each of you the first times you all went. Nothing was cuter than when Demyx started to cry when he couldn't go pet the horses, or when Riku jumped out of his seat and ran to the collection stand because he'd won twenty dollars. I'm glad I get to see another."

Roxas looked at the woman oddly. She had just admitted to having fond memories with these people. "Wait. If you were there for those…. Just how old are you?" he asked, unable to get the numbers to add up right.

She darkened immediately. "How old do you think?"

"Well, I had guessed twenty-four, but I'm starting to think I'm wrong."

"You think I look twenty-four?" she asked with watering, happy eyes. "Oh my God, I love you. I don't care if you get the job or not, you're staying. Say something else nice about me."

Roxas smiled a little uneasy, before Xigbar replied for him, "For a thirty-six year old, you have a very firm ass."

"Thank you. You've got quite the libido for your age."

"I'm barely a year older than you."

"Your point? You're still older."

"You're both old and perverted. There, it's been said. Now can we please just go to the track?" Zexion crossed his arms and huffed. Everyone gawked at the normally quiet and polite accountant. "What? I haven't been on route lately, so I'm going through withdrawal. Besides, the constant bickering is annoying."

"It's just family love," Xigbar grinned, hugging Larxene from the side. She didn't protest, but glared at the slate haired man.

"Demyx, why'd you tie his panties in a knot? He's going to be a bitch all day." She huffed, leading everyone to the door, the eye-patched man still clinging to her. They all rushed out and piled into an elevator before going out into the garage. After some debate, they all piled into Axel's truck, the only car in the group that could seat them all comfortably. Axel and Roxas were the only ones who opted to sit in the cab, while everyone else sat in the back, each for their own reason. Demyx wanted to feel the wind, Zexion wanted to make sure his boyfriend didn't fall out (again), Larxene just felt like it, and Xigbar still refused to stop 'showing his brotherly love for her'. It wasn't long until they reached a large building that reminded Roxas of the Circus Maximums in ancient Rome.

It was packed full of people, most of them were fowl-smelling, dirty men that Roxas assumed were hiding from their wives. He grabbed the back of Axel's violet silk shirt, afraid to get left behind in the crowed and hoping desperately that he hadn't smelled like this when he was homeless. The first thing he had done after the poker game had been a nice, hot, two-hour long shower, and he was contemplating taking another one, just to make sure. He looked up at the red head, who had stiffened as soon as he felt his fingers wrap around the hem of the garment. "What? I don't want to get lost," he huffed, crossing one of his arms over his chest. Axel's eyes widened and he turned away quickly.

"Right. That wouldn't turn out well, for anyone. Larxene would disown me if I lost her new suck-up." He turned back with an uneasy grin. The sudden change in attitude made Roxas crinkle his nose. "I can't believe you really complimented her. Other than Xigbar, you have to be the only one in years."

Roxas just nodded, wondering why Axel looked like he was about to be sick. _I'm definitely taking that shower._

They continued in silence, following Zexion up to the restaurant section. As they ascended, the people got more upper class looking, until it was mostly a richer class and the stench of sweat and beer faded. Roxas felt out of place in the hand-me-down green shirt and black slacks, both of which hung off his lean frame. He had to punch a new hole in the belt to keep the pants on. Damn Axel and his women hips. In the end, the six of them needed to push two tables together, but were right next to the window looking at the track. It was a great view, looking almost directly at the finish line. Roxas sat in front of the glass with wide eyes, watching the horses and their jockeys getting ready. The stands were all packed and people were crowded around the railing, jostling around for the best vantage point. The energy was contagious and Roxas had a hard time sitting still.

"The race won't start for awhile. You want to make some picks?" Zexion asked, holding out a sheet of paper. Roxas looked at the list of horses. "Just mark down the top three that you think will win and I'll make the bet for you."

"Um… how about Struggle in first, then Lucky Star tied with Xylon. If they don't except ties, then put Xylon second," he replied pacing the paper back. Xigbar raised a brow at him.

"You really don't follow this circuit. Struggle hasn't won a race. Ever. You might want to change your pick for first. Prymos hasn't been beat all season, you know. Pay off is two to one."

"What about on Struggle?"

"Ten to one. He's a long shot, after all."

"Then I want to put one hundred on him, for the win."

The group looked at him like he was insane. "Trust me, Captain," he said, affectionately referring to the man's drunken claim to be a real pirate. "I'm better than the laws of probability. Just trust me when I say I want Struggle in first."

Zexion nodded and wrote it down. Axel shrugged, "The kid's pretty lucky. Put me down for the same." He smiled and put an arm on the back of the short blond's chair. Roxas smiled at him and leaned back. The slate haired man rolled his visible eye but jotted it down anyway. Larxene put her faith in his judgment, but not to the same extent, opting for fifty dollars. The other three decided Xigbar was the more educated in this and put down Prymos.

"So what makes you believe that Struggle is going to win, anyway?" Axel inquired once Zexion had left to place the bets.

"It's a game I used to play when I was small. Well, smaller," he huffed, glaring down at his five foot three inch frame. "I tend to place bets on personal things like that. It hasn't cost me yet."

"Are you implying that you've never lost a bet?"

"No. I just haven't lost one important to me. This is important."

Zexion came back, red faced and slightly amused as he passed everyone their tickets. Demyx furrowed his brow in confusion when he took his. "What's up, Zex?"

"The guy literally fell out of his chair laughing at me when I bet two hundred and fifty dollars on a horse that hasn't won in his entire career."

The race started not long after everyone ordered their lunches. Roxas listened intently to the man on the intercom as his words blurred together. For a long time it seemed like Xigbar was right and Prymos was going to win, but during the last leg, Struggle hit his second wind and went up nose to nose. It was a photo finish. After ten minutes of nail-biting, It was decided that Struggle would get the pay off. Roxas let out a sigh of relief. He grinned nervously over at Xigbar. "No hard feelings, Captain?"

The man turned his shocked eye on him, a shrimp tail hanging for his slack jaw. They were all quiet for a long moment before Xigbar snorted back a laugh. "Hard feelings? As if! It's nice to have some competition in the young-bloods. What do you feel about the next race?"

"Nothing," the boy replied with a shrug. "I was taught not to overdo things before my parents were killed. I only ever place one bet at a time, unless it's just for some fun. You know, times when the losses wouldn't matter as much."

He stood with Larxene and a puzzled looking Axel, going to collect their winnings. Axel pulled Roxas to the side for a minute. Keeping a hold on the blond's wrist, he started, "Hey, Roxy, I've got a question."

"I might have an answer."

"Didn't you say that your parents died in a fire?" Roxas nodded, quickly reviewing the story. "Then why did you just say they were killed?"

Roxas looked down, scowling lightly, "It was an arson. I count that as murder."

Axel pursed his lips, not putting any faith in the words. He hooked a finger under the short blond's chin and pulled his face up. He stared deep into the cerulean eyes for a moment before letting go. "Well, the best part of 'believe' is the 'lie', right?"

"I told you, no pop culture references that I don't understand."

"Do you get what I mean?"

"Yes."

"Then explain, and don't switch the subject again."

"There is nothing else to explain, Axel," Roxas growled. He stepped back, baring his teeth with a growl. "Why can't you just take my word on this? You have for everything else!"

"As for not letting this go, I think it's an important thing for a friend to know. Roxas, I've recently discovered you've been cursed. Those eyes of your's shine differently when you lie; they're telling me that there is more to this story that I should know. Your defensiveness supports their theory."

Roxas was taken aback by that. He'd never stayed with one group long enough for someone to figure that out, id it was true. Even then, he had only been staying with Axel for a few days. "Well…. If I'm so bad at lying, then why am I so good a poker?"

Axel shrugged. They stared at each other, glaring stubbornly. Once it was clear that Roxas had no intention of answering him, the red head sighed. He released the blond's wrist and started to go towards the collection stands. Roxas followed unhappily.


	4. Chapter 4

_(A/N: Okay, let's make a deal. I want five reviews for each chapter, good, bad, or ugly. That's the minimum needed before I'll even consider posting the next chapter. Deal? Taym.)_

By the time the day was over, Roxas had only made that one bet and everyone else managed to lose most of their money. The boy was ignoring Axel, leaving the red head disgruntled, but paid him enough attention that no one seemed to catch on.

The group left and made a quick shopping trip for Roxas' clothes. The blond changed into a black silk shirt and white slacks, glad to once again wear something that fit him. He joined the others in the common room at the end of the top floor hall and relaxed. It wasn't much more than a lobby, with a cluster of couches surrounding an oak coffee table and a flat screen mounted on the wall.

"How was the shopping trip?" Vexen asked from his seat, not looking up from the small device in his hand. He scratched under his goggles before moving them to cover his eyes and touching his screw driver to the metal, causing a spark.

"Really boring," Roxas replied, leaning over the man's shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Vexen sighed. "Trying to fix Saix' arrest tag. He snapped some wires when he took it off, and if I don't repair it soon, the police will be on our asses."

"Saix?"

"Yeah. He's the assistant manager here," Vexen took off his goggles and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's also the one who gets in the most trouble. Violent outbursts and DUIs galore. Most recently paroled for aggravated assault. It's such a pain looking after him, but he and Xemnas have been associates for a long time."

"'Associates'?"

Demyx laughed a little, "You can't really say either of them have friends. You'll know what we mean when you meet them."

Roxas shrugged and sat next to Larxene, trying to figure out just what the show she was watching was about. All he could figure out was that a very short woman liked to dance. How, um… nice.

Axel sat next to the little blond, frowning when Roxas stiffened. He didn't move but it was clear there was tension between them. The red head glared at the TV like it was the cause of all of his problems. He knew, though, that it was all his fault. It had been his idea to join the Black Jacks. Now he has complicated his orders because of the need to help this kid. _Stupid brat, _he looked at Roxy out of the corner of his eye. _He looks a lot like them, but he doesn't have their manners. I've given him a roof, food, my bed, and my clothes. How the hell does that give him the right to _ignore _me? If he wasn't so cute, I'd kick him out, flat on his face._

His kindness didn't go as unnoticed as he thought. As much as they fought, the blond stayed close to him, seemingly subconsciously. He wasn't particularly happy about it, but Axel had been the one to take him in. It was that fact that made him feel safe with the older man. Roxas leaned back, resting his head on Axel's arm with a resigned sigh. The red head's ears turned pink as he gently pulled the boy closer. They'd done this a few times since Roxas started staying here, and everyone expected it. It would have been strange if they hadn't.

It stayed like that for a few hours, the only time someone talked being to fight over the remote (which never left Larxene's control). It seemed like it was just going to be another quiet evening, when Riku suddenly rushed into the room. Out of them all, the silverette was the one Roxas knew the least about, but he still knew that the look of complete shock and excitement on his face was unnatural.

"He did it!" the man shouted, leaping over the couch and onto the coffee table. The blond dully noticed that the employees seemed to enjoy standing on furniture. "Saix won them over! We got it!"

"Got what?"

"Got milk?" Axel chuckled, earning a smack. "Okay, Roxy. You could have just told me you thought it was a bad joke. Use your words, like a big boy."

"Roxas, we've been trying to buy out this club in town for six months. The owner, Yuna, and her sisters, Rikku and Paine, were pretty stubborn about keeping Gullwings a family owned place, but once Xemnas sets his eyes on something, he gets it." Riku laughed, "and now, we got ourselves a new Rave!"

"We so have to go tonight!" Axel shouted, a wicked gleam caught in his eyes. They all cheered, clapping their hands. Roxas didn't understand the sudden energy, but still laughed along. It was nice to be included in the antics. "Sing, dance, drink: it'll be a gas!"

"Did someone say 'drink'?"

They turned to see a very happy Luxord, holding a towel over his… um, _area_ for cover. He was panting, wet, and his face was red, giving Roxas the impression that he had jumped out of the shower and ran. They were all lucky that he had thought to grab the cloth.

Demyx nodded, "We so have to party tonight! I'll go get Zexy!"

Luxord chuckled and headed back towards his room to get dressed. Roxas turned back, sharing an understanding look with the remaining people in the room. "That was way more of him than I ever needed to see. Ever."

They nodded in agreement before heading out to get ready.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-I-_-am-_-a-_-line-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Axel couldn't stop laughing. His favorite blond was walking next to him, staring at the club in absolute awe. It was, after all, the kid's first time. One more V-card that Axel got to snatch away. Two in one day, and from such a cutie? With luck he just might get three before the night ends!

Roxas was completely enthralled by the lights flashing in the windows and thumping bass resonating from inside. The line waiting to get inside was a mismatch of Goths and business people, artists and conservatives, teens and adults. It stretched all the way down the block and almost everyone of them stared at the glamorous group passing them by.

"Why the hell are they passing?"

"Man, that blonde's got a _fine_ rack!"

"Who's got hair _that_ red?"

"I bet we can sneak in after them."

A gruff blond man stood at the door, marking one girl's hands with thick black X's. He let her through before turning to look at the group. He scowled and tilted his head back as he studied them like they were rats. Actually, scratch that. Roxas had lived with rats; they weren't that bad. This was the look the rats gave their fleas.

The man adjusted his goggles before growling, "Get yur asses to the back of the line. Ya gotta wait like everun else."

Riku smiled amiably, holding up a small business card. "I'm Riku Yukawa, with the Organization XIII company. We recently bought this club and need to do an assessment of the staff, so we know who need canned. If we may get through, mister…?"

"Name's Cid," he replied, not looking very happy at all about letting them through. "I'll need ID for bar privileges. Also, a DD gotta be picked now. We don want any accidents near the club 'cuz a few people got a little dizzy."

They all showed him their cards. Roxas was the designated driver since he was underage anyway, much to his disappointment. These people will let him gamble underage, but one drink is completely out of the question? Hypocrites. Everyone else got a stamp on their hands that featured a drunken Vodka bottle. Larxene laughed a little, "We're going to have to change this…."

Once in the doors everything got louder. Roxas could feel the music running up his legs and settling in his stomach. The Technicolor lights were near blinding from the stage were the band played. Many of the people were out on the floor, leaving plenty of room at the bar. Luxord was gone in half a second, with Riku and Vexen close behind. Larxene clapped and ran off with a "Found him!" and Demyx dragged Zexion off to dance. Axel couldn't help but laugh at them. "Looks like it's you and me for now, Roxy. Want to see if Xemnas and Saix are in the office?"

The blond nodded enthusiastically. They slowly fought their way through the crowd and into the back. They slipped through a door that read 'Staff Only' that lead into a short hall. Most of the sound was drown out by the thick walls, but you could still feel the drum line. There were four doors on either side. The first doors were labeled 'Greenroom' and 'Bathroom'. Behind that were two sets that read 'Private Room' and behind them were 'The Roof' and 'Management'.

Roxas hesitated in front of the office door, hearing some less than welcoming moans from the other side. Or maybe so much _too_ welcoming considering they sounded rather pleased. He glanced up at Axel with red cheeks, only to find the other man stifling a laugh. "I- uh… I don't think they want to be disturbed."

"Oh, no. We so need to get in there. Just hang on a minute." The red head pulled a phone out of his pocket. He touched the screen to bring it to life. "I just need to start the camcorder."

He quickly started the video and pulled Roxas over into a half hug. "Riku? You owe me and Roxy a Ferrari," and then he turned the phone around, kicking the door open. Roxas saw a mess of blue and silver before he yelped and turned around, his face burning. A second later the grunting stopped and someone shouted before Axel ran out of the room, grabbing his wrist, "Run!"

They took of back into the crowded dance floor. They hid out for a moment under one of the tables around the bar (scaring the hell out of the couple sitting there) and watched to see if they'd been followed. Once they were sure they hadn't, Axel helped the blond up and to Riku's stool with a sly grin.

"Hey, when was that deadline for 0n3xS3v3N?"

"Um, a few… tomorrow?"

Axel gave a pleased look and lifted his phone. To postpone the scaring video, Roxas frantically waved his hands, "Wait! Ju-just wait… uh…. What was that c-code you said?"

The red head smiled slightly. This blond was so innocently adorable it should be illegal. It was easy to tell that he was embarrassed by the video, with his face an apple red and his shaky laugh. Axel chuckled and decided to go along, "Every mission and bet has a code. It helps us catalog and communicate without letting everyone else in on the deal. 0n3xS3v3N is a bet between me and Riku here."

"What was it on?"

"He bet his car that Xemmy and Saix weren't screwing," Axel laughed and turned back to the bar, waving Vexen down from the end. Once he was sure that Vexen was sober and would make a decent witness, he started the video. Roxas turned red again when the moans started and Riku cursed the libido of a man. He was still mumbling when Larxene came over, dragging a giggling stripper with her. At least, she looked like a stripper to Roxas. She had shoulder length pale hair (thought the color was hard to pick in the strobes) that flipped out around her soft features. Her hoodie looked to be a deep violet and her skirt was too short and redder than Axels hairs, but matched her knee high hooker heels. She jingled lightly with all the belts and bracelets and her calculating blue eyes were nearly hidden under all the make up. When she came up and wrapped her arms around Vexen, everyone (other than the disgruntled scientist) smiled at her. Finally, those icy eyes landed on Roxas.

"Hey there, cutie. You the new kid Larx told me about?" she asked in a very amused, very deep, very _manly_ voice. Sweet transvestite, it was Tim Curry. Why the _hell_ was Tim Curry here? If he started singing _I Can Make You a Man,_ the blond was going to run straight back to his foster home and never turn back.

Instead of voicing this, he just inched a little closer to Axel and nodded. "Yeah. I'm Roxas. Who are you?"

"Marluxia," he answered, smirking. "I'm Vexen's Flower Boy. Isn't that right, Ice Ice Baby?"

"The day I agree to that, hell will freeze over."

Larxene handed her friend an apple martini. "So," she turned to the group, doing her best not to laugh as Marluxia tried to grope 'his Chilly Academic'. "What's going on?"

"Xemnas just gave away my new Ferrari."

"Yes! That means Luxord is paying for my next spa trip! Where is that little drunk?" They all looked around the bar, seeing nothing of the older blond. Everyone exchanged worried looks. Luxord wasn't at the bar, but there weren't any gambling tables here. Something was very, very wrong.

Riku rubbed his temple like he was trying to ward off a headache. "Okay, let's split up. Larx, Marly, you take PR one and two; Vexen, you get the others. I'll check the bathroom. Axel, take Roxas on the dance floor and if you see Zex and Demy, get them to help."

They gave a collective nod and set off. "Stay close," Axel took his hand and lead Roxas onto the floor, "We don't need everyone knowing were missing a drunk man."

They milled around, occasionally pretending to dance; Axel said it was so no one would notice them. Roxas thought it was strange, but Axel had been at this sort of thing way longer than he had and he decided not to argue. Thinking about it, how long _had_ he been at this? "Hey, Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"How old are you?"

That threw the older man for a loop, "Uh… twenty-three. Why?"

The teen shrugged, "Just wanted to ask. You're seven years older than me."

"What?" He did the math. _Oh, God _he thought. _I've got a crush on a sixteen year old. _"When's your birthday?"

"October thirteenth."

Axel calmed down a little. "Oh. I'm only six years older. Mine was just a few weeks ago."

Roxas nodded, "Then, when did you join the Black Jacks?"

Before the red head could answer, there was a loud cry of "Roxy Sandwich!" and the blond was slammed from behind. He toppled over onto Axel and all three of them hit the ground. Roxas sat up as far as he could, blushing. He was straddling a pink eared Axel and had a giggling Demyx pressing into his back.

Zexion cam up and grabbed his boyfriend. "My apologizes. He's gotten a little hyper with all the dancing. I should have kept a closer eye on him."

"S'okay," Axel mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "We sort of lost someone, too. Either of you see Lux?"

Demyx raised an eyebrow and pointed towards the stage. They turned to look and saw a shirtless blond climbing up to dance with the bassist. She laughed and swayed with him, making everyone cheer. Roxas shook his head and sighed when the gambler started grinding. He was about to say something when he say a man stalk up the steps behind the speakers. Pulling on Axel's sleeve, he pointed the man out to the others. They all shared glances before running forward. They didn't get there in time.

The man ran up and punched Luxord in the stomach, startling the bassist enough to drop her instrument. She squeaked and jumped out of the way of the next shot, just when the band stopped playing. Everyone started shouting again, some for a fight, others for the blood of the guy who almost hit the girl. Roxas tried to get on stage to help, but Zexion stopped him.

When the blond looked back, Luxord had gotten back on his feet and had a twisted smile on his face. His attacker swayed on his feet and hiccupped, obviously drunk. He muttered something that Roxas couldn't hear over everyone, but Luxord just smiled wider. He nodded and they both walked off. "Where are they going?"

They turned to see Riku coming up beside them. Axel smirked, "You know how ballsy Luxord gets when he's on the sauce. They're going outside."

Riku grinned back. "Demyx? Go inform the Superiors what's going on. Zexion, convince the band to keep going. We'll go help Luxord to be sure he doesn't get too hurt if that guy has friends."

They went their separate ways. When the trio made it outside, the music was already starting up again. They raced around to the alley behind the club in search of their drunken friend. It was dimly lit, and smelled like garbage. There were boxes and broken wood crates.

When they got there, Roxas was a little surprised. Luxord was standing straight and still with a smug grin. If it weren't for the occasional (manly) giggle, no one would guess he was drunk. The other man, on the other hand, was a mess. He swayed, hiccupped, and his ruddy face was covered in sweat. It was beyond obvious that he'd had way too much of the brew.

"Get lost dude!" the man yelled, "I don't want you near my girlfriend!"

"She certainly didn't seem to mind."

That really pissed the guy off. He shot forward and tried to punch Luxord again, but the blond sidestepped. He countered with a swift kick to the back. Still, the guy got up and charged again.

They kept fighting, dancing around the alley. As they got closer to the far end, Roxas notice some familiar chocolate spikes peeking out from behind a stack of creates. "Watch out!"

The homeless boy looked out and saw Luxord being thrown towards his home. He yelped and scrambled off between two buildings. Unfortunately, Riku had seen him. He smirked and started after him, yelling, "I call this one!"

"Be careful!" Roxas shouted, hoping his word were heard by Sora. He really didn't want the brunet hurt for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After Riku disappeared, he turned back to Luxord. The man was having a hard time getting his attacker off of him. The blond was going red faced with effort, but the jealous boyfriend was too heavy and had his arms pinned at his side. Roxas felt his eyes widen when something shimmer faintly in the man's far hand.

Luxord's opponent had a gun.

"No!" Roxas didn't remember having ever run this fast. He grabbed a wooden plank and sprinted towards them. He pulled back and swung the board without slowing down. The man cried out, falling to the side and dropping his weapon. Roxas jumped when he felt something splatter on his face, but he ignored it and knelt next to Luxord. "A-are you… alright?"

The Brit seemed a little stunned as he reached up and touched his cheek, smearing a red liquid onto his fingers. Roxas squinted and touched his own face and looked at his fingers. Red. He looked over to the man on the ground and gasped. The man's eyes were wide open and his temple was shattered, bleeding out. Roxas looked back at the board in his hand and saw a nail sticking out at the other end.

He jumped again when Luxord started laughing. "Good shot, duck. A little primitive, but effective." He looked back at the man and pick up the gun in his hand. "I owe you, Roxas."

But the blond wasn't listening anymore. He'd just killed a man. Another human being, and they didn't care. He was living with killers….

Axel came up and helped the blond stand, before wrapping his arm around Roxas' shoulders. He smiled sadly when Roxas leaned against him and closed his eyes; he was shaking pretty bad.

"Very good, Roxas," the blond looked up to see a tall man with long silver hair staring at him with intense amber eyes. The man looked over at the body and gave a cold smile. "A natural gambler and willing to kill for fellow members. Very good indeed."

"Xemnas…."

The man glanced at Axel briefly, but quickly turned back to the youngest man. "Congratulations. You're hired."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-I-_-am-_-a-_-line-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Roxas sat in bed, staring at his hands. He couldn't believe all of this. Xemnas and Saix had said they would take care of 'the scene' and sent them home. Riku hadn't come back, so he was still out there. Sora could be in a lot of danger. The other's had shown some concern, but no emotion acceptable for the situation. Axel…. He had just held him on the way back. He seemed to regret letting it happen.

"Hey, Roxy," he looked up at said red head. There was so much worry in those chartreuse eyes, and it made Roxas feel better. At least Axel seemed to have a heart. "It's pretty late. Don't you think you should sleep?"

The blond looked back at his hands. "…Would you sleep with me to night?"

Axel glanced back at the couch he'd been sleeping on these past few days. He knew he should go over there and not baby Roxas too much but… the kid just looked so broken. So, he crawled under the covers and held his arms out. Roxas curled up against his chest, burying his head in Axel's neck. "You know, you're a hero. If you hadn't acted when you did, the guy would have killed Luxord. And us, since we would've been witnesses. You saved us."

Roxas looked up at him with teary azure orbs. For a second, that was all he did, but then he stretched out, kissed Axel on the cheek, and nodded. Then he curled back and closed his eyes. "Thank you, for this."

The older man wasn't sure if he meant for letting him stay here, or sleeping next to him, or the words. He didn't care, he was just glad he did it. Axel smiled and tightened his hold on the teen, "Now, sleep. I'll be right here to keep the nightmares away."


	5. Chapter 5

_( A/N: I would like to than Chez for helping me with the absolute CRACK in this chapter. I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed and favrited/alerted my story. E muja oui.)_

Larxene smirked as she drove the electric blue punch buggy down an alley, "Axel was pretty pissed this morning. He really wanted to take you out for your first mission."

"Oh, he wanted to take me, alright," Roxas mumbled, chuckling. Axel had been sleeping with him in the bed ever since the club incident last week. Now, when he woke up in the morning, Axel is usually pressed against his back and, uh, _poking_ him. It has been horribly uncomfortable for him. The red head, however, wakes in utter bliss. You know, before he gets kicked in the shin.

The blonde woman laughed and shook her head. "Frankly, he doesn't seem like the only one. Never let yourself be left alone with Xig, got it?"

Roxas nodded, "So, what's our mission?"

"Just a delivery. You're here to observe, and I don't want you interfering with anything. These two are a little… dangerous."

"A delivery?"

The older woman chuckled lightly, pulling up to the curb to park. "You don't know much about the Underground, do you?" Roxas shook his head. "Well, it's basically a big kingdom. You have the junkies at the bottom; you know, the ones that are addicted to everything and supply the money, like the surfs did. Then the suppliers, who have certain areas to supply to, which are assigned to them by their superiors. They make some profit, but most of it goes to the king, the guy who makes the stuff. Xemnas wants to be the king of all of it. He has a hand in every addictive vice in the city: smoking, gambling, sex, etcetera, etcetera. If he rules the Underground, he rules the city. The Black Jacks are his knights and lords. We do all the dirty work for our own profit: a place in the king's court. Most of the hotel workers only deal with gambling, but new comers are supposed to do a little of everything and find _their_ vice. You do best when you enjoy your job, you know?"

"So, we're delivering drugs, right? This isn't a sex thing?" Roxas asked worriedly. Larxene laughed.

"Coarse not! You're underage, sweetie, and my new little boy. I'll disown anyone that even _thinks_ about taking your virginity."

The teen blushed, "And why assume I'm a virgin? I just don't feel comfortable as a prostitute."

"Oh, puh-_lease_. You have a chastity belt on your chastity belt and welded them both shut. No one has gotten in there."

Roxas huffed and got out of the car. "Any way, change of subject. Any word from Riku?"

"Not a peep. Whoever he went after must be a big problem, but that's a good thing. He's been really mope-y lately and needs a distraction. I know I give him a hard time with it, but I'm worried."

"Really? Why?"

Larxene looked at her feet sadly as they walked. "Well, he had a bit of a crush on one girl. A really pretty blonde, named Namine. He thought that she felt the same, but it turned out that she'd been cheating on him with some one else. A girl, no less. Ever since she told him she just wanted the money, he just… crashed."

"Namine?" He asked, trying to remember where he had heard that. Wait…, "Um, a little smaller than me, big eyes, likes drawing?"

"Yeah," she narrowed her eyes. "You know her?"

"I robbed her a few weeks ago."

The woman looked at him in shock for a moment, before she cracked up. Roxas (long use to Larxene's sadistic cackle) laughed with her. They turned down onto a desolated driveway that lead to a burnt shell of a house. The teen froze, staring at the charred walls and broken windows.

"_No! You have to let me through!"_

The roof was non existent, having caved in, and it looked like most of the second floor was missing. Roxas could imagine the red and orange flames licking up the sides of the building, the smell of burning siding. Of burning-

"_My parents are in there! Where's my sister? Please, just let me-"_

"Roxas?" Larxene turned back to the boy. He looked back at her like she shouldn't be there, like she was trespassing. "Is something wrong, Shorty?"

Roxas forced a smile, "I'm fine. Is this where we're meeting them?"

Larxene eyed him wearily before nodding, "Yeah. Come on, they're inside. Just let me go in first; stay close." The teen boy nodded, trying to push aside the phantom smoke that was filling his lungs. It was the past, irrelevant. Barely even his memory.

The inside of the building was in worse repair. The wallpaper was singed and stained, peeling off the crumbling walls. The carpet was black and crispy. Everything smelled faintly of a barbeque and the sparse furnishings were broken to pieces. Roxas ran his fingers along the wall, trying to push away the ghosts. _It use to be so bright…._

"Oh, there you are," Larxene smiled sadistically. Roxas looked at the clientele. There was a blond man with wild spikes in his hair and a stoic look on his face. His icy eyes glared at Larxene like he wanted to shoot her. The man next to him had medium brown hair, almost to his shoulders, and a long diagonal scar between his stormy eyes. They both dressed like they had just stepped off Wall Street, however, despite the obvious battle wear. "Cloud, Squall. How are you both?"

"Skip the pleasantries, chick, so we can leave."

"Be polite, Cloud. As for you, I've told you to call me Leon, Larxene," said the brunet. He stepped in front of the blond and reached into his pocket.

Larxene laughed at them both. "Always in such a rush. Fine, give the boy the money. Two hundred, two orders."

Leon pulled out his wallet and removed four fifty dollar bills. He eyed Roxas suspiciously before holding out both hands. When the teen tried to take the money, he tightened his grip. "I want to be holding the bags before he gets the money."

The woman smiled again, opening her purse and pulling out two brown paper bags. "Here, Squall. Two orders, just like I said," she placed it in his out stretched palm, but kept her hand on it. "Let go of the cash, and it's your's. 'Kay?"

"Cloud," he called, smiling back. "Check the bags. I want to be sure we're getting our money's worth."

The man stepped forward and peeked in one of them. His eyes narrowed and he growled at Larxene, who nonchalantly fixing her hair with her other hand. "The hell, woman? There's less that a pack in here; it isn't worth fifty, let alone a hundred!"

Leon pulled back the money, a knowing gleam in his eyes, "I can't believe you thought you could rip us off."

"Not a rip off. There was a bust and our supply has gone down. So, we upped the prices to meet supply and demand. It'll get better after the rebuild in spring, I'm sure."

Leon shook his head and smirked. He inclined his chin slightly at Cloud, who grabbed both bags out of Larxene's hand. The blonde woman didn't seem too bothered by the lose of merchandise. Instead she just smiled amiably as the brunet put the money back and spoke, "We'll just take the drugs as payment for your rude behavior towards us."

The man opened his mouth to continue, but Roxas was a little distracted by his thoughts. They didn't have the drugs or the money in their possession, but Larxene didn't look like she was going to do anything about it, which seemed odd. Leon was turning his back on them and Cloud was busy looking at the drugs. So, very carefully and quickly, the teen reached his hand out towards the brunet.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Ms von Trell. I really did expect more of you."

Larxene smiled sadistically again, before turning her own back. She walked a few feet before turning back to the shaking teen, "Come on, Shorty. These two obviously forgot the rules of the game; we can't play with them anymore. Oh, and boys?" she smiled back at Leon and Cloud, "You're losing your touch."

And with that she ushered Roxas out of the building as fast as possible. She pushed him into the car and started the search for her keys. As she looked, Roxas turned back and looked at the charred house, replacing all the missing pieces in his mind. Hayner did say he was going to rebuild his old home.

Just then, a shot rang in the air and the side mirror shattered. Larxene swerved on the road, cursing lightly and throwing Roxas against the car door. "Looks like Leon figured it out," she growled, driving faster when another shot was fired. She took a quick turn, through someone's front yard (and vegetable garden), and over two blocks. They continued this haphazard driving pattern for a few blocks, until Larxene felt absolutely sure that Leon and Cloud hadn't followed. Then, she pulled into a small gap between two buildings, parking in their backyard. She huffed and placed her head on the steering wheel as Roxas tried his best to breathe properly. He turned to look at the blonde woman, who was now adjusting her antennae in the rearview mirror.

"Sorry," he said.

Larxene looked at him, eyes wide. "For what? You did cause this. Xemnas is at fault. Him and Leon."

It was Roxas' turn to look surprised. "What?"

"Well," she said with a sigh, "Our last newbie, a girl named Penelo, made a huge mistake. It was her first solo run, and she got scared because her customer's had a gun. They took over ten pounds of merchandise. It was thousands of dollars worth. Xemnas was pissed and almost killed her for it, but instead just…. Aw, well, that's a different story. Anyway, it's now protocol to use a _fake_ during the initial transaction with difficult customers, until we figure out who stole from us, since Pen wasn't sure who they were. Leon and Cloud figured out that it wasn't the real stuff."

"Oh, I see. I thought you meant they figured out that, uh," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small leather rectangle. Larxene looked shocked again. "I took his wallet."

The woman took it from him, opened it, and laughed. "There's about six hundred in here. Oh, god, you're fantastic. I can't believe you did that; they're gonna hate us."

"Hee, hee, sorry. Didn't mean to upset any one, I just figured that we would get in a lot of trouble going back empty handed. Turns out were going back with extra."

"No, we're not."

"Huh?"

The woman laughed at him. "Roxas, have you ever had a joint?"

-_One trip to Mary Jane's house later-_

"My sock is missing."

"Whaaat? You lost yourrrr shhhhhoooooeeeeeeeessssss? How'd you do thaaat?"

"No, ju- just the one sock! The left one!"

Larxene looked at the bewildered boy in horror. Sure enough, his left foot was sockless under the still in-place Italian made loafer. "Oh no, they're after you!"

Roxas' eyes widened. "Who? Santa? Oh mi god, he's not really a pedo, is he? That's why he breaks into children's homes and leave stuff? My poor childhood!"

"No, is… is…," she glanced around, like she thought the trees were listening. They had taken refuge from prying eyes. "Is the Goblin Army."

The teen looked at her in horror and confusion. "Whhaaaat? G-goblins?"

Larxene nodded enthusiastically, her antennas bouncing. "Yeah! You must of made the Goblin King mad! Whhhaaaattt'ddd you doooooo?"

"Nothing, nothing! I've never even _met_ David Bowie! But, w-what am I-I gonna d-dooo?" he whined, eyes tearing. He didn't want to be on the hit list of the Goblin Army.

"Flamingos."

"Huh?"

"Goblins and flamingos are mortal enemies. If you line the tunnel with flamingos, and dance to the goblin anthem, the king might except your apologies. But you should wear a disguise until we do this."

Roxas nodded and started to run towards the car. Behind him, he didn't see a very sober and grounded Larxene smile slyly. _Time for Axel's present!_ She thought, following the teen.

-_One very confusing shopping trip and dance around a fire later_-

"So, they won't come after me now?" Roxas asked, clinging to the plastic, pink lawn ornament in his hands. Larxene nodded and pulled him out of the elevator, wiping dust off of his new outfit.

"No, no, you should be _fine_. Just be sure to sleep with that tonight, okay? It'll help us be sure."

Roxas smiled widely, nodding. They half-ran half-skipped to room 813. Larxene took a moment to adjust Roxas' head wear before stepping in.

"Surpri- …huh?" was the general response of everyone in the room. The only one who seemed undisturbed was a strange boy the Larxene didn't know, who ran up and glomped Roxas with a happy squeal. Axel looked ready to faint, a small trickle of blood coming from his nose. Riku had returned and was staring with part of a biscuit hanging from his mouth as his paper plate dropped to the floor.

"Surprize, everyone!" Larxene shouted, guiding Roxas into the room. He beamed running up to Riku and tackling him with a hug.

"You're _back_!" he give the silveret a sloppy kiss on the cheek, causing the brunet to giggle. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

Then he got up and went to Axel, holding him tightly in one hand, the flamingo in the other, not letting go when he turned back to talk to the stranger. "I'm happy you're okay, too, Sora. I was _so_ worried when Riku went after you."

Riku's eyes went wide, "You know each other?"

They both nodded enthusiastically, but before that line of conversation could be pursued, Zexion came over with a perplexed face. "Do I really have to be the one to ask?"

Larxene smirked, glade that someone was going to take the bait. "Ask what, Zex?"

"Why the hell is Roxas dressed up as a French maid?"

And it was true. Roxas was there in a black dress that buttoned up the front. A lacey apron was tied around his narrow waist and he had a white headband in his cow liked hair. His nails were done with French tips and bangles adorned his wrists. The short heels on his feet clicked as he twirled for the crowd, giving a full view for all in the room. "Doesn't it look wonderful? I thought the fish net stalkings were a little much, and the wax was hell, but it turned out nicely."

Axel reached out and pulled the teen towards him, preventing a drooling Xigbar from doing so. "You look great, Roxy. But what's it for?"

"Well," Larxene started. "I got him high on premium weed as a reward for making _six hundred dollars_. Then, he some how lost his left sock, without losing his shoe," as she said that, she pulled a sock from her back pocket. "So, to hide him from the goblins, we had to disguise him. Cross-dressing seemed like a good idea. don't you think, Roxas?"

Roxas nodded with a wide smile. Sora nodded, too, feeling that all of that made perfect sense. "And the flamingo?"

"Protection against the army, of coarse. Flamingos and goblins are bitter rivals," Roxas stated, matter-of-fact.

Sora nodded sagely, looking at Zexion with wise-seeming eyes. The slate haired man dropped his head, fighting off laughs. This is ridiculous, being scolded by to teens about fairy tales, one of them being unaffected by any substances. It was clear they both believed that this was obvious and sensible. Even Demyx seemed to be seriously thinking over the situation.

Riku, however, had had enough of the topic and stated, "We really should move along with the party."

"Yeah!" Sora cheered, pulling Roxas away from the redhead and towards the bar. Vexen grinned at them both, giving them diluted whiskey. "Did you know Axel had been planning this for you since you got here? It's a welcome party! When Riku called him and said I'd be coming to join soon, they decided to make it joint. Oh, Roxas, you will never guess how this happened! When Riku was after me, I tripped and fell. Riku was screaming (cheering really) that he couldn't let a witness get away alive. But then he went all wide eyed and I was so scared that I started to cry. Riku started hugging me and saying it was okay. I didn't have to be a witness. I could be family. It came out of nowhere and BAM! Blindsided me completely. We spent a lot of time briefing and getting supplies like my new wardrobe, staying in a hotel room. He said I was going to have to know what I was getting into, but we kept getting side tracked with stories and stuff. Did you know that Riku has a metal plate in his head from cracking it open? He fell off the roof. Well, he fell asleep and kindda rolled off. He was watching the stars."

Roxas giggled. "Cool. But what about your dad? Didn't you say you were going back?"

Sora frowned lightly. "He doesn't want me. He sold everything I left and was selling the house. He didn't want me finding my way back."

"…Oh…."

"It's okay," the brunet grinned widely. "'Cause now I get to live with you and Riku. It'll be so much fun! Like one big sleep over!"

Roxas' eyes lit up. "Yeah! Me and you can share the room at the end at the hall!"

"What?" Axel and Riku came up to them, looking very unhappy. The red head frowned deeply. "Roxas, you're staying in my room."

"Now, I'm staying with Sora. Plus, room 830 has two beds."

"B-but… I wanna cuddle…." Sora said, dropping his head to look at Roxas through his lashes.

"Well, then come crawl into bed with me if you get too lonely. I won't mind."

The two older men balked, but Roxas and Sora had made up their minds. They were going to be best friends, brothers. They were runaways, new in this place, and they had to stay together.

And so, they both moved into their new room, slightly drunk and cuddled together on one queen mattress, much to the dislike of two particular adults and the amusement of every one else.

- _Meanwhile _-

"Oregano and pepper. Who the hell gets tricked by oregano and pepper?"

"Who gets pick-pocketed my a newbie teen?"

Cloud and Leon glared at each other with deep hatred. It wasn't that they didn't like each other, quite the opposite. They loved one another, and that had kept them together in this business. However, withdrawal was a bitch, and right now, they blamed the people they held dearest. There was also a third party, one that didn't seem upset by this. Instead a bright smile split their pale lips, menacing and sharp. They folded gloved hands in front of themselves calmly, icy eyes glancing between the boys.

"Don't get so upset. If our partnership works out, you'll get everything they owe you, and more."


	6. Chapter 6

_(A/N: This chapter was actually planed to be longer, but... Well, there's no changing the scene after that last bit. It whould be so... cheap. Anyway, I want to know if any one can figure out the plot yet! Tell me what you think is going to happen! Oh, and Chez's friend? I need to ask you a question about Xigbar and the uniform. Message me when you read this, please.)_

Roxas looked around the table at everyone. He had a decent hand for Rummy, but it wasn't all that great for poker. It didn't help him that everyone looked completely depressed and he wasn't able to read them. Finally, he sighed and laid down his cards. After removing his shirt (pointedly ignoring Axel's hungry eyes), he asked, "Why is everyone so down?"

"Because you returned that costume to the store," Sora giggled from his perch on Riku's lap. He wasn't playing since, despite their best efforts, he didn't understand the rules.

"Well, that answers for him, how about the rest of you?"

Riku smirked. "You didn't let Sora try on your dress."

Zexion rolled his eyes, pushing back his bangs so both eyes were visible. Roxas tilted his head, noticing for the first time what a delicate beauty the slate haired man really was. Judging from the awed look, Sora felt much the same. Zexion smiled lightly, "We are a little depressed because one of your client's wards are coming to stay here for her vacation."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Larxene nearly slapped Sora, but restrained when Riku gave her a sharp glare. "She's such a brat! Absolutely horrible! The last time she was here, she stole three dresses from me, saying that they weren't in my age limit! I look like I'm twenty-four!" She smiled, kissing Roxas on the cheek.

Vexen gave her another martini, "She's under age, but tried to bribe me into giving her open access to the bar."

"Sora and I are underage. You've given us drinks."

"But not the key to the liquor cabinet. It's filled with much harder stuff than I'd ever let you two drink."

"And," Axel began with a scowl, pointing to his face, "She glued construction paper to my eyebrows because she thought they were 'too short'. And it wasn't little strips either; it was an inch long and half an inch wide. I looked like England and Ireland had a baby and raised him in the ghetto!"

Roxas looked to Demyx. "Anime he watches. It's called Axis something-or-other."

"Axis powers Hetalia," Zexion said.

"What's 'Hetalia' mean?" Sora tilted his head.

"We're off topic," Roxas pointed out. "When's she coming?"

"Two days from now," Axel sighed. He shook his head sadly and put his arm around Roxas as Riku pulled Sora a little closer with a concerned look. "You two are about to meet the biggest bane on our existence. Kairi Utica."

Luxord gave a tight smile. "Don't look so worried, duck. We'll do our best to keep you safe from her. Until then, however, why don't we just finish the game?"

"Actually, I have my first mission tomorrow!" Sora exclaimed, standing up and pulling Roxas with him. To be honest, almost everyone was surprized when Xemnas had said the brunet could stay. He obviously lacked a killer instinct and had few gambling skills. "Riku is taking me on a drug run, so I have to get up early. Night!"

Roxas followed Sora back to their room. He bit his lip nervously as he crawled into the queen sized bed. "So… are you looking forward to becoming an official Black Jack?"

"Yes!" Sora shouted, a grin coming over his tired features. He jumped onto the mattress, and curled up against Roxas' side. "Then I'll get to stay here with you and Riku forever. We'll really be family…."

Roxas looked down at Sora's wistful expression with a smile. "We already are family, Sora. You're my brother, now and always. I'm sure that Riku feels the same way."

"Really? Because sometimes I think that these people don't like me…."

Roxas laughed, "Yeah, some of them are a little rough around the edges. Trust me, they'll love you once they know more about you. Right now just focus on finding your vice, okay?"

The brunet nodded, resting his head on Roxas' chest. "Hey, Roxy? How did you and Axel get so close?"

"Do we seem close?" Sora nodded. "Hm. I don't know. He was the one who picked me up off the street, so I tended to cling to him. I think it annoyed him a little, because I would catch him staring. He'd always just turn and glare at whatever was in front of him when I did. Everyone warmed up to me fast, because my talent showed quickly, but Axel was the one who took care of and comforted me the most. We shared a room…."

"So it was because Axel took you in? Riku took me in, but we don't talk about much besides work anymore. You and Axel talk about everything. You were talking about the scientific value of applesauce yesterday!"

"Yeah, but you have me. When I first got here, I was most comfortable with Axel. You spend most of your time with me, not Riku."

Sora was quiet after that. Roxas wrapped his arms loosely around his new brother and drifted off to sleep.

(,,,…,,,…,,,...,,,)

"So, are you ready?"

"Sure, Captain, It isn't that hard, right?"

Xigbar shook his head, aiming a one eyed glare at the blond. "You said that four hours ago, when we started. Roxas, never underestimate a gun. Now, let's see how long it takes you to use two rounds. We need to try to get your reload time down some. At least you stopped hitting yourself with the back lash."

The young blond stuck out his tongue and pouted. Xigbar laughed and pointed back to the target paper. Roxas took a deep breath and aimed, trying to calm his frayed nerves. It felt so strange, having a gun in his hands. Every time he put his finger on the trigger, all he saw was that man at the club, that he killed someone, that he got Sora pulled into this world without really knowing what it was. There was no way for him to concentrate. Roxas felt Xigbar place his hand on his shoulder, making the blond look up.

"Roxas… you're shaking again. Seriously, tiger, what's wrong? You need to learn this…." he lowered the gun and looked at his older friend.

"How?"

Xigbar blinked, caught off guard. Roxas noticed the confusion.

"You're the sharpshooter and the one they turn to for… this," he gestured slightly at the target with the gun. "How do you get over it?"

The man smiled sympathetically. He had nearly forgotten that Roxas had already experience the most unnerving thing about the job. "Rox, let's clear one thing up: you should never get over it." he chuckled lightly when Roxas looked at him in shock. "No one should be able to kill with no remorse at all. What you need to do is remember that the people we're after? They're not good people. If they got persecuted for everything that they've done, they'd be on death row anyway."

"So, what you're saying," Roxas tilted his head with a confused look, "is that we're doing good?"

Xigbar nodded. "Like what you did. You saved a life, possibly more. If that guy had been so willing to harm Lux, he's harmed others and would do it again. You did good."

Roxas nodded. It was kind of like when he stole to stay alive. The ends justify the means. Right. Taking a deep breath, he raised the gun again and Xigbar took a step back. Roxas cleared his mind the best he could and aimed carefully before emptying the magazine. Fumbling, he reloaded and fired again, though with less accuracy. He then pressed the 'call button' (as he called it. Xigbar had called it something else, but Roxas hadn't been listening) and let the eye patched man examine the paper.

"I give you a C plus. Your first aim took too long and the second was haywire. You still need to work on reloading faster. For an amateur, though, you did okay. Probably a lot better than Sora will do, but it's obviously not going to be your strong point…. Then again, could just be the weapon. We'll try you out on other things during your next practice."

Roxas sighed and nodded. "I'd obviously do well with a baseball bat." They both laughed and walked out. Roxas was a little confused when the man turned right, heading down the street instead of towards their car. "Um, Captain? Did you forget where you parked?"

"Nah, kid, but we've got a second thing to do. We're meeting a contact down the street, and they're going to buy some things."

The blond looked around before whispering, "Arms dealing?"

The man nodded, reaching back and tightening his ponytail. "Yup, and in case you didn't notice, I've got a rather memorable face. That's where you come in. Axel's going to meet me outside, and you're going to go in. See if you can find the client and report back, then Axel will take you home."

"Who am I looking for?"

"It'll be a small group, acting casual. Probably in their early twenties."

"So half the people in there?"

"That's what they tend to look like. However, the ones you are looking for should be with a girl with lavender hair that covers one eye and pale skin. She probably won't be talking much. If you hear the name Fuu, you've found her. If they're acting weird, then tell me. They might be cops. And be sure that _you _don't look suspicious."

"No worries."

It didn't take long to finish the assignment, he just pretended that he needed directions and would glance around 'embarrassed' at how he got 'lost'. After Xigbar went in, Roxas looked up at Axel. To his surprize, the redhead didn't smile at him, or put his arm around him. In fact, he didn't even look at Roxas. "Is… something wrong?"

Axel shook his head and gestured for Roxas to follow him. They headed back towards the man's car. The blond found himself increasingly uncomfortable with Axel's dead stare. When they parked on the side of the street in front of a museum, he fidgeted and pursed his lips. Still, Axel didn't look at him, focusing instead on the steering wheel. "Ax?"

"Tell me… about your parents."

Roxas started and dropped his jaw. "What? Why?"

"Please, Roxas, don't be stubborn, just this once. Who were your parents?" Axel finally looked into the teens eyes. The shock at seeing the hurt and distress and _rage_ in them overrode the discomfort of Axel using his real name.

Roxas hesitated, unsure. Finally, with a sigh, he started, "Their names were Helena and Anthony Heart. They owned a small restaurant on fifth in Twilight Town, and I would work there during weekends and summer. They were leaders in the neighborhood watch, PTA, and any after school activities they could work on. Every Thursday, Dad had poker nigh and on Fridays Mom had book club. They would always take time to talk to and encourage me. We always had dinner together. They loved their small, simple lives. I liked it, too. They would probably role over in their graves if they knew what I was doing."

"Did they really die in a fire?"

"No," Roxas whispered after a long pause. Axel flinched. "My friend, Hayner. After gaming club, we were walking to his house to do a project for science. There was faulty wiring in the basement, and it sparked. No one knew about it until it caught the first floor on fire. He was sent to live with his aunt in Traverse.

"My parents… I'm not sure what happened to them. They had went to work and just… never came back. No blood, no bodies, no clues."

They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their thought, until Axel leaned over and wrapped Roxas in a hug, burring his face in the boy's shoulder. If he hadn't known better, Roxas would have thought Axel's cheeks were wet. "Roxy. God, Roxy, I'm so sorry… for so much."

"You don't need to be. You've given me something I never thought I'd have again: a family. I'm so grateful for it. Thank you, Axel."

The redhead went tense, holding Roxas tighter. "Roxy?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that I… that I…. You know?"

Roxas put his arms around the older man and smiled, doing his best to stop Axel from shaking. "Yeah," he said, burring his face in Axel's coarse spikes and kissing him. "I know."

Axel sat up and started the car again and Roxas turned back to the window. Neither mentioned the salty stains on Roxas' shoulder. When they parked, Axel whispered, "No. You really don't."

( I-am-a-tree )

The next four hours found Roxas pacing around the lobby. When they returned, Axel had retreated to his room to sulk and Marluxia (who was purring things Roxas wished he hadn't heard to a drunken Vexen) told him that Sora and Riku hadn't come back. The blond bit his lip nervously, _They should have been back hours ago. It's almost five!_ He went back to his room and sat on the bed. _Riku can take care of himself, but what about Sora? Or what if Riku got hurt because he was protecting him? Oh no, what if they went to a hospital? We'll all be arrested! No, no, even Sora knows that Vexen is the one to go to. Maybe the car crashed and neither of them are healthy enough to make it back? They'd call, right? Vexen has a way to know, right?_

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the lock on the door clicked. The awaited brunet stumbled into the room. "Sora! Thank Bowie, you're okay. I've been worried sick. Wait," he hugged his brother noticing how pale he was. "You… _are_ okay, right?"

Sora shook his head slowly as Roxas helped him over to the bed. "It was five hundred and fifty dollars. They d-didn't want to pay that much… they shot Riku. In the stomach. Vexen has him. He… he said it was okay. But the woman…."

"Woman?"

He nodded, swallowing loudly. "She was on the sidewalk with a man and two kids. She looked like she was expecting another one. The men… the clients. They shot her too. She wasn't moving when I looked back….

"And Riku was shooting, too. He made them swerve and they drove off the road. The car was totaled, but we don't know if they made it. They could come back, or tell the cops or…."

"Sora, calm down, please," Roxas pulled the boy close, rubbing soothing circles on his back. Sora whimpered and tried to hold back the tears. "You did good, Ra, you really did. This stuff… it comes with the job. Riku is a professional, he knows what he's doing. We're not going to get in trouble. We'll tell Vexen to check on the woman later. He can scan the hospitals for you."

"Roxy… I don't know about this anymore…."

The blond pulled back and smiled reassuringly, "I understand. Not everyone can do this, and it takes some getting used to. I won't make you do this. Not if it hurts you."

Sora gave him a watery smile, snuggling closer. "I… don't want to leave, though. I've never had a brother; I don't want to lose you just because I'm a wimp."

"You're NOT a wimp, Sora. Don't say that. And we'll always be brothers. I told you that. I won't let them kick you out. As a prodigy, I have a little leverage. I know Riku and Axel will agree with me. You're not going anywhere."

"And if I do?"

"I'll go with."

Sora pulled Roxas closer, curing up against him. It was nice to know that he'd always have someone. "I love you, bro."

"I love you, too."


	7. Chapter 7

_(A/N: *Sob* These up coming chapters depress me to write.)_

Axel closed his eyes, unable to continue looking into those wide cerulean orbs that he admired. "I really am sorry, Roxy. I'm just being honest."

The blond took a step back, shaking his head. This had to be another one of his jokes. It had to be. "Axel… how could you say that to me?" Slowly he felt his sadness turn into anger. "After all of this, you have the gall to tell me it's best if I- I _leave?_"

"Please, understand-"

"_Understand what?_ You're the one who brought me here! You're the one who took care of me, who wanted me to fit in, who went out of his way to keep me here! Now you're just going to _kick me out?_"

Axel sighed, clenching and unclenching his hands. "Roxy… it's just because I care. This isn't a good life for you. Now that you have money, I think you should leave. I can't make you, but I really _do_ think it's for the best. Get out while you can. Please."

Roxas laughed, the sound harsh and unbecoming. "So you're going to try to pass it off as good intent? I'm not buying it. And here I thought…. Well. It doesn't matter what I thought."

"Roxy-"

"Don't you fucking _dare_ 'Roxy' me!" The red haired man recoiled as if Roxas had struck him. Roxas never swore. "I'm not leaving! I _like_ it here. These people care about me. We're family. I just _can't_ lose another one. It won't happen!"

"Roxas!"

The teen took off down the hall, back to his and Sora's room. He slammed the door and leaned against it and tried to ignore the burning behind his eyes. When Axel had asked him to talk this morning, he hadn't thought that the man was going to tell him that he was unfit for to be a Black Jack. Slowly, his knees gave out and he slid to the floor.

He gasped when someone knocked on the door. "Roxy? Roxas, I know you're in there. Let me in."

"Go away, Axel," he growled. "I don't want to hear this."

"Come on! You can't be so attached to these people. You barely know them!"

Roxas scoffed. "Oh, really? I think I know quite a bit."

"Like what?"

"You were in three different bands in high school, singing lead and playing bass, until you broke your hand and weren't allowed to play. Marly's favorite movie is _Mama Mia, _Larxene is secretly motherly and wants to own a daycare-center, Vexen was a doctor who got fired for his theory on molecular decay in dark matter effecting cancer, Riku was adopted by Xemnas when he was seven, and Xigbar is a war hero from Prussian territory. Zexion wanted to be a rock star and Demyx can't actually swim, despite his love of aquatic affairs. I don't know anything about Xemnas and Saix, but since they never come talk to us, that's not a surprize."

He heard Axel chuckle on the other side of the door. "And about their work? Do you know anything about that?" When Roxas didn't answer, he laughed again, bitter and broken. "They would kill you if they were ordered."

"No, they wouldn't! We're family!"

"They've killed family before. We all have. Inevitably, someone you care about screws up and you have to make sure they can't yap."

"And how do you know that? Have you killed family?"

"…Yes. Roxas, that's why I want you to leave while your slate is still clean. I don't you to be the one who makes the mistake. Please, at least think about it?"

Roxas pulled his knees up to his nose, burying his face in his crossed arms. Several endless moments followed in that heavy, deafening silence that seemed to dominate them. Roxas knew that Axel was leaning against the door, an inch away, but it felt like worlds to him. His chest felt painful and still, like his heart had stopped, but the blood still clawed it's way through him, too stubborn to admit defeat. Finally he heard shuffling footsteps fade away.

And he cried.

() - ()

Sora and Roxas sat outside Vexen's workroom. They didn't talk, both distracted by what was happening on the other side of the wall they rested on. The brunet stayed close to Roxas, though whether it was to give or receive comfort, neither knew.

No one else had come. They were off on their own missions, leaving the two teens to brood. Axel hadn't tried to talk to him after their fight that morning, openly avoiding him. Roxas held Sora a little bit tighter, hoping not to show the pain. He still felt the burning rage in his stomach and refused to believe that he cared that Axel didn't want him here. The people who did want him were more important.

Finally the door opened and Vexen walked out, almost tripping over the teens. Both boys jumped up, shouting one question after another until the doctor told them Riku was sleeping and they needed to shut the hell up. Sora rubbed his arm across his eyes and looked at Vexen, hopefully. "Then, he's alive? He's okay?"

Vexen hesitated, "Well, those two thing don't go hand in hand, Sora. Riku _is_ alive, but… I had to stitch up some inner organs, primarily the stomach. There was some damage from the acid and he's susceptible to infections. He's going to be very weak and we won't know if he's going to _stay_ alive for a while. I have to keep him under surveillance. I can let you in to see him if you stay quiet."

They nodded and slowly went towards the door. Sora had to suppress a sob when he saw his friend. Riku, strong and arrogant and larger-than-life _Riku_, was nearly buried under wires and tubes: heart monitor, IV, oxygen…. His creamy complexion was glossy and pale, his labored breaths causing his chest to jerk with each shallow huff. His bangs matted to his forehead and his eyelids fluttered in his restless sleep.

Sora sat on the edge of the bed, gently taking Riku's trembling hand. He picked up the corner of the blanket and used it to dab away the sweat on the silveret's brow. "God, Riku…."

Roxas stood next to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sora turned his huge watery eyes toward him, shining brightly with pain. The blond looked down at Riku and whispered sternly, "You'd better live, you reckless douche. I need to kick you're arse for scaring Sora. Be ready for it."

The brunet managed a thin smile and looked back, too. "And don't expect me to help you. You deserve disownment for this. But we'll discuss you're punishment later. For now, just heal, okay?" He stood, striding over to Vexen. He stared directly into those icy eyes with a glare of his own. "I'm staying in here. Bring me a comfortable chair… and a Heresy bar."

The eldest man raised a thin eyebrow, glancing up at Roxas. When the blond nodded, he sighed and left the room. "You can stay as long as you don't mess with the cords. If he wakes up, come and get me."

Sora nodded and sat on the edge of the mattress again. Roxas thought he might turn green as he watched Sora run his fingers through Riku's hair, brushing it back from his face. The gentle touches, teary smile, caring gaze. It looked too much like love.

() - ()

"I'm telling you, this woman is the devil in heels," Marluxia complained as he adjusted his slacks. He was being forced to wear men's clothes for Kairi's arrival. "Disgusting and condescending. I wish we could shoot her."

"Play nice, Marly!" Demyx chastised. Zexion stood in front of him, attempting to fix the taller man's shirt buttons.

"Seriously, Dem, did you dress in the dark? You missed the hole completely!"

"That's what she said."

"…You're sleeping in the lobby tonight."

Roxas laughed at the men and the light-hearted bickering. "I just wish I was Riku right now. Vexen said he'll probably be comatose for the entire visit, and definitely bed ridden," Axel murmured from across the room. Everyone agreed.

Larxene adjusted her antennas in the mirror, "I'd rather be Sora. He doesn't have to do this, and he doesn't have the stabbing in her stomach."

"Attention." Everyone turned towards the door way. Xemnas stood there, Saix standing behind him with a scowl. The two men scanned the room, making sure all those who were able-bodied were present. Once satisfied that he had everyone's attention, he began, "I want you all on your best behavior. All undercover work is delayed, I want all of your attention on Kairi and the hotel No snide remarks to our valued customer. Be sure that Roxas and Sora are around her as little as possible; I don't want her scaring them off. Now, let's be on our way so we meet her in the lobby."

They made their way down, and Roxas fidgeted constantly. He found himself wanting to go to Axel, but knew it wasn't going to help. He thought about going to Sora, but didn't want to risk angering Xemnas.

"Something wrong?"

Roxas looked up to see Marluxia standing next to him. He tried to smile, but he could tell the older man didn't buy it. "It's nothing. Just a bit of a falling out…."

"Ah, yes," he smiled sympathetically. "I thought I heard you and Axel yelling this morning. Did you want to talk about it, honey?"

"No, I… I'm just a little upset. He didn't say what I thought he was going to."

"No one expected him to say that. With the way he looks at you, letting you stay with him for so long." Marluxia shook his head and frowned. "But don't let him get to you. _You _are the only one who can decide if this is the life you want or not. No matter what you chose, we all love you and you'll always be a Black Jack to us. Don't forget that, honey. You and Sora, both, are loved."

"Thanks, Marly. That means a lot to me, but…."

"But it would mean more from someone else?"

Roxas nodded and looked to the floor. The pink haired man wrapped his arm around the teen and held him. Inside, he cursed Axel for hurting their Roxy. The redhead needed to understand that it wasn't just his choice, _everyone_ wanted the blond to stay, it wasn't his place to tell him to leave. He glanced over at Axel and saw him staring. He glared back, squeezing Roxas' shoulder. Axel closed his eyes and turned away.

"Where is that stupid bellhop? Someone needs to take my bags to my room **now**!"

Roxas scrunched his nose at the echoing voice when they stepped into the lobby. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around Marluxia's waist and squeezed softly, "Thanks, Mar-Mar. I'll be fine." Then he rushed forward to partake in his cover job.

Being a bellhop was probably the best job he's ever had. It was much better than the things his foster parents had made him do. He remembered Mrs. Kambele making him push her car for miles if the engine gave out, while making 'car noises'. He didn't even get paid for that, she just gave him an old piece of butterscotch. Then there was Mr. Crindel, who thought Roxas was the world's best footstool. Didn't get paid for _that_ either.

However, being a bellhop at a fancy, high-end hotel wasn't much fun. He had to wear a frilly, ruffled shirt and slim dark pant. Then there was the fact that anyone rich enough to stay at such a classy place (even in such a dirty part of town) felt the need to travel with their whole wardrobe and at least four other people. The girl who was yelling, was no different.

"I'm terribly sorry, miss," he said, submissively. Another problem with this gig was holding his tongue. He wasn't the most outspoken person, and usually believed in "to each his own" but there was a limit on the number of self-centered, obnoxious snobs he could deal with. He was only human.

The 'miss' in question turned on him. She was just a little shorter, with wine red hair and sea blue eyes. She seemed proud of the light tan on her skin, because she showed a lot of it in her pink halter and mini skirt. When she smiled at him it didn't fully hide the coldness in her eyes. "Please, just be sure that they arrive in my room safely. Room 114, thank you."

Roxas gave a shallow bow and picked up a bag in each hand. "Demyx, could you help me?"

The older blond nodded and picked up a few others. "These don't match," he observed. "Will these be going to a different room?"

"Oh yes, thank you. My chaperones will be in the room across the hall."

They nodded and carried the luggage upstairs. "Hey, Roxy? You look a little bit, kind of, really, super pissed. What's up?"

"Is everyone going to be asking me that?"

"Well, if you're going to kick the wall and growl, then yeah, probably."

The younger blond sighed and shook his head, "Dem, I don't really want to talk about it. I'm just upset."

"Well," the dirty blond frowned and sighed. "I guess that's okay."

Roxas dropped his bags and pulled out his universal key-card. "So, that's Kairi then? She doesn't seem all that horrible so far. Spoiled, sure, but everyone who comes here is."

Demyx gave an involuntary shutter at the girl's name. "I know. She always seems like she's just pleasantly oblivious to the working-class world. Don't buy it, Roxy, don't even rent! It's a friggin' _lie!_"

They both walked into their respective rooms and set down the luggage. "Okay," Roxas said in a raising his voice to be sure the other blond heard. "Who are her chaperones?"

"Don't know, she's never brought one before. About time though. Maybe they can keep her out of our hair!" Both men laughed and started to go back down to the lobby. "I can't wait until Mansex shells out for a new cart. It's such a pain carrying all these suitcases everywhere."

"Maybe we can pay off Saix to say that being nice to the staff is a turn on."

They both started at the voice. They turned to see Sora standing in the lobby of this floor with a cup of coffee. He had a huge grin but it looked rather forced. Roxas smiled back at him, chuckling at the joke. "What are doing all the way down here?"

"Our floor is out of coffee. I needed some, 'cause I want to be awake when Riku comes to. Gotta go. Come visit soon, bro?"

Roxas nodded and Sora left while he and Demyx went to the lobby to get their job over with. When they arrived they saw that two men had joined Kairi in her lounging. One was rather tall, with a long scar on his face and chestnut brown hair, while the other was a little shorter with gravity defying spikes and a stern glare. They both smiled a little when they saw Roxas.

"Please, tell me that that little pick-pocket didn't handle our bags," Leon chuckled. Larxene was standing with them, looking crazy as all hell, not that Roxas would ever tell her that.

"Pick-pocket? Squall, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing, Kairi," Cloud interjected, grinning. He stepped forward and wrapped his arm around the younger blond's shoulders. "Roxas is just an old friend."

Axel watched as the man ruffled _his_ Roxy's hair, touch _his _blond so familiarly. He felt his eyebrow jerk up and his hands clench at his sides. He knew that the other's were watching him, saw his eyes narrow and his back stiffen. Then, something happened, something that made his fingernails bite into his palms.

Roxas smiled at them.

"Well, aren't you two being nice. I figured you'd hate me. Especially you, Leon."

"Nah, you sort of helped us," the brunet replied. "Got us to realize just how stupid we were being. And please, call me Squall."

"But last time-"

"I was doing something illegal. Now, I would like you to call me by my real name, yes?"

Larxene came up behind him and lend onto his shoulder, "Not likely, Leon. What fun would it be to call you that?"

"Miss von Trell. I suggest you don't harass our guests," Saix warned from his place next to Xemnas. "You should be in the kitchen right now, anyway."

"Was that a sexist 'woman's work' joke?"

"No that was an honest 'head chef' fact."

Larxene looked confused for a second before grinning, "Oh yeah! I forgot about that."

After getting their orders, she left, followed closely by Marluxia and Xigbar, who were in charge of room service and head waiter, respectively. Luxord was the bartender and said that they were welcome down anytime for a free drink. Vexen had left already, saying that he had a patient to attend to, but whether he really went to see Riku or not was questionable. Zexion was at the front desk, looking busy, and Demyx was standing next to him, staring.

"Alright, Kairi. This is Roxas, and he's going to be your lackey. He'll carry bags, open doors, and just be there for anything you might need. Axel, our activity director and chauffer, will take you to all the best places. If there's anywhere you want to be, he'll get you there," Xemnas explained, giving them a wicked smile. "I thought since they were so close, that they would be best for this."

Saix straightened after glancing at his watch. "Superior, we have a meeting soon. I suggest that we take our leave."

Roxas gulped as the two older men walked away. Kairi was smiling at them both, but there was something twisted about it. Cloud and Squall didn't seem bothered, but had an excited and hush conversation between each other, like they were planning something. Axel wasn't looking up from the floor, but his tense posture made it seem like he was about to hit something.

Roxas wasn't comfortable in the situation at all.


	8. Chapter 8

_(A/N: ... This chapter is a little jumpy, but if you can follow it, it'll clear a lot of things up. Good luck.)_

Roxas was about to kill himself. Kairi was twice as horrid as everyone had made her out to be. She had made him carry one hundred and twenty-three pounds of clothes from the shopping district all the way back to the hotel, because they wouldn't fit in the trunk with all of her shoes. She had refused to let him stop for lunch, or a drink, or the bathroom. Then she tried to get him to put on a dress, saying that he was the same size and shape as her friend (though whether that was an insult to him or the girl, he didn't know).

Then there was Squall and Cloud. They continued to talk to him like he really _was_ an old friend. They had refused when he offered to pay them back, and had said that he could instead treat them to breakfast the next morning.

Finally, Axel. The red head would stand close to him, but wouldn't talk to him. Then he would look ready to punch anyone who touched Roxas, but would flinch every time their hands accidentally brushed. Not once did he smile or relax. It was driving the blond insane, but at the same time, he didn't want Axel to talk to him. He was still extremely pissed about what had happened three days ago now.

"Roxy, stop rolling over. You're going to fall off of the bed!" Sora yawned, rolling over to wrap his arms around his brother. Roxas lay on his back and let the brunet curl against his side. Sora had decided to sleep in their room tonight, because the chair he had been in hurt his back.

"How's Riku doing? I didn't get to see him today."

"Pretty good. He still hasn't woken up, but he'll grip my hand or mumble at me when I ask a question." Sora grinned tiredly. "I think he's going to be fine. Vexen's watching over him right now and prom-"

"_I won't let you!"_

Both boys leapt out of bed and ran towards the crashing noise from down the hall. Hey turned into the floor lobby to see Axel throw Squall into the wall. They growled at each other before Squall swung. To dodge, Axel had to let him go, but he retaliated fast. The brunet ducked over to the side, making the taller man punch a hole in the wall.

"I don't know," Squall drawled as Axel freed his hand. "I think the kid deserves to know. Everyone else does."

"Shut up!" the red head tried to grab the other man, but missed.

"Being lied to by people who he should trust. Shameful."

"What are you two doing?" Roxas shouted. They both froze and turned to him, one in horror the other in amusement.

Squall's grin widened, "Hey, Roxy, I wanted to talk to you."

The blond raised an eyebrow, tempted to tell him to go to hell. Instead, he nodded. "What is it?"

"Cloud and I have to go out tomorrow, so can you just tell me where to meet you?"

"Just you?" he nodded. "Isn't Cloud coming?"

"He did already," That was another thing that made Roxas want to get a gun. The pervy jokes. "He has to stay over for that meeting and can't make it."

"Alright. Just met me at that restaurant down the street, okay?"

"It's a date!"

And he walked away. Roxas shook his head and grinned. He was about to go back to his room when Axel growled. Sora squeaked and stepped behind his brother. "What's gotten under your skin?"

"Why the _**Hell**_ are you going on a date with _him_?"

"Why would you care?" Roxas spat venomously. "If I recall, you want nothing to do with me. We haven't talked in days."

Axel bristled. "You know that I'm trying to look out for you! I don't want you getting hurt, but if you go out with him-"

"I can take care of myself! I'm not leaving!"

"Why the Hell not?"

"_Because I don't want to leave you, jackass!_" Roxas seethed. "I'd rather stay here and be ignored than never see you again!"

And with that he ran back to his room. He slammed the door shut, feeling bad that he'd left a very confused Sora out there. The brunet knew how to get in, though.

"Roxas!" Axel shouted, pounding on the door. "Roxy, get out here and talk to me! Please!"

"Give one reason why he should."

The red head turned to Sora, as the shorter man stood behind him. His eyes, so similar to Roxas' yet some how duller, were narrowed into a glare so icy, _Vexen_ would have frozen. "Please, Ra."

"No. Roxas told me what you said to him. After the way you acted, getting his hopes up, making him believe he finally had a place to belong?" Sora shook his head. "I don't think that he should ever talk to you again. You really hurt him, Axel. If he forgives you, even if it's years from now, count yourself lucky."

"I need to talk to-"

"I'm not letting you in the room."

"Sora, you don't understand!"

"What is there to understand? You hurt my brother!"

Axel flinched. He looked to the floor, doing his best to ignore the whimpering that he heard behind the door. "Sora…. I've done so much more than that. It's why I don't want him to talk to Leo-… Squall. He can't know."

"What can't he know?"

( ) ( )

Roxas laid he head on the clothed table in front of him, careful not to knock over his drink. He was tired, his eyes were red, and Sora had come back into the room looking depressed, just to leave soon after to see Riku. He didn't say anything, except that maybe Axel was right.

Roxas sighed, "Traitor."

"Who?"

The blond looked up to see Squall sitting across from him with a soft understanding smile. Roxas just shook his head and sighed. "Everyone seems to be turning against me. I don't get it at all. First Axel doesn't want me any more, now Sora is siding with him. Says he made sense. I still don't buy it."

Squall took his hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Actually, you might want to."

"Oh, not you, too!" Roxas groaned.

"Sorry, blondie. It's true though. I learned a few thing from Kairi that you might be interested in hearing," Roxas raised his eyebrow, carefully studying the brunet's grave expression.

"Tell me."

( ) ( )

"Tell me. Why are you doing this?"

Cloud smiled condescendingly, keeping the barrel of his gun trained on Axel's head. "Because you're important. You're the Black Jack's hit man. If you're out of the way, we can take over."

The red head growled, finger's twitching. "No. I've seen the way you guys are acting. Why are you targeting Roxas?"

"Is that really all you care about?" Axel nodded. "Well, if you must know. It's in everyone's best interest."

( ) ( )

"It's in everyone's best interest. Have you ever heard of the Royston family?"

Roxas thought for a moment. "Yeah…. Oh yeah. The day Axel took me in? He was talking to a girl. She said she didn't want to end up like them?"

Squall nodded, sighing. "No one should. The Roystons were a lovely couple, high school sweethearts. They were happy, talented, cunning, and barely eighteen. They could win at any gamble they made, sell anything, and shoot a penny a mile off. They were a dangerous pair and the golden couple of the under ground. Xemnas' favorite duo for the first six years of their careers.

"Then, they had a bad idea."

( ) ( )

"he had a bad idea when he tried to rip us off. After all, we work for the only real competition that the Black Jacks have. It really pissed off the higher-ups to hear this and they finally decided that they want to take you out. However," Cloud grinned. "It would have been a waste to lose a prodigy. Just like it had been to lose you. Bonus is, that by taking him, we hurt you."

Axel glanced around. They were down in the wine cellar, surrounded by well-duster bottles and finished walls. The place was still dark, cold, and a little musty (like any good wine cellar should be). The bad thing was, there were no twists or turns, or places to duck if he tried to run. The only isles are on the side walls, and Cloud had snuck up on him when he was in the middle of it all. He'd be a target.

He turned his chartreuse eyes back on the blond in front of him. "Cloud, you know why I left. We were partners back then, I told you everything that had happened. You _know_-"

"Yes, I know," he growled. Even after four years, it bothered Axel to know that Cloud was upset with him. "You gave up everything. Everything the four of us worked for, _your brothers_. You went to Xemnas because he promised a few extra bucks. You decided you wanted more."

( ) ( )

"They decided that they wanted more. So in that greed, they tried to double cross the Black Jacks. It's still the biggest crime bust recorded. It cut over half of their bosses' power. However, what they didn't count on was how hard it would be to flip that territory for themselves. For five years, they tried to build their own empire. No matter what they did, the ground slipped out from under them. In the end, they gave up.

"In the mean time, Xemnas had been rebuilding. It was going much too well for him. He knew that they had been the ones to turn him in. He wanted revenge."

( ) ( )

"I want revenge. For me and Leon. For Lea. We deserve it. After what you did, after you put us through."

"It wasn't my fault! Lea was the one who wanted to leave!"

"Stop lying to me! It was you! You were the only one of us that was ever unsatisfied with where we were. It was the lap of luxury, but you just couldn't be happy. You left. Tried to drag off Lea and sneak into the night, that's what he said.. You killed him."

Axel growled, barely restraining himself from punching Cloud. "I didn't and you now that! It wasn't me! It wasn't me… it wasn't…."

"It was. Leon and I had to tip off the higher ups. It was the only thing to do."

( ) ( )

"There was only one thing to do. The Roystons went under ground. They moved away and tried to pretend nothing happened. That's when Axel joined, a nineteen year old who wanted a comfortable life as a criminal. He spent months tracking them, gave them every chance to run. However, they refused. In their minds, they believed that they had something that even Xemnas couldn't beat."

Squall took a long pause, staring at the table with a sorrowful interest. Roxas watched him as he tried to take in the new information. "Something Xemnas couldn't beat…."

He looked up into the older man's stormy eyes. His own blue widened as he pieced it together. "No."

( ) ( )

"No, there were plenty of other things to do," Axel whispered with a pitiful smile. "Cloud, how could you? We needed a change; both of us, me _and_ Lea. Your oh-so-_perfect_ higher ups where _murderers_."

"And these people are so different? What you did to the Roys-"

"Shut up! That wasn't my fault! I didn't know!"

Cloud laughed darkly, finally dropping the gun in favor of pulling Axel down to his own height, to look him in the eyes. "You knew, Axel. You always knew, then and now. What you're doing here? It's damnable."

The blond raised the gun, flipping it over and beating the butt of it into Axel's head. Cloud smiled when he heard a satisfying '_crunch' _and walked away, leaving his old partner bleeding and unconscious."

( ) ( )

Roxas sat in his alley, back in that crumbling neighborhood, looking at his box. He had left it here, hidden in a condemned building, behind a brick he could wiggle out of the wall. Racking the insides, he moved forks and knives, pencils, paper, the can opener. There was the book of pressed flowers his mother made, his father's lucky poker chip, even his cat's collar. Finally, at the bottom of it, were two pieces of paper.

One was a playing card: the Ace of Spades. It had a calligraphy-style 'A' in the places most aces do. However, instead of having the suit in the middle, there was one in either of the should-be-empty corners. The middle was a graphic drawing of a fire as it burnt two people to cinders. The back of the card was a brilliant blue.

On the other was a family photo from when he was about nine, not long before his birthday. The three of them sat in front of a big bay window that had a lovely view of their front yard and the scenery beyond it. It would have been perfect, if it weren't for the man who had been walking down the street, on the right side of their smiling faces. A tall man with bright red hair, pulled back in a pony. His face was turned in the other direction, looking at the fields, but there was no mistaking.

"Axel…."


	9. Chapter 9

Off white or eggshell? The longer Sora stared at the ceiling, the less he was able to decide between the two shades. Though, it was kind of looking like lace white. Maybe he had eliminated that opption too soon, and should rethink the eggshell.

The brunet sighed, finally closing his eye, which he was sure had crossed. Instead, he truned his attention to Riku.

The silveret looked far better than he had when he was first brought in. The colour was coming back into his cheeks, his breathing wasn't so ragged, and he was starting to respond to outside stimuli other than pain (not that Sora had meant to trip over the IV wire. He was still apologizing for that). The bullet wound itself was almost closed, thought still very delicate. Vexen said that Riku should wake up with in the next few days, at most.

And if he didn't, they would have to unhook him anyway.

"Riku, wake up. Please, please, wake up."

Sora gripped the silveret's hand, clutching it tightly. Riku held back, the muscles in his arms trembling with effort of the light grip. The brunet sniffed, placing his forehead against the back of Riku's hand, hoping he would sleep a little that night.

It had been three days since Roxas had been back to Hotel Oblivion. Sora worried about him constantly, especially after they had found Axel in the wine cellar. Though the redhead had woken up that same day, he hadn't said anything to anyone. He'd holed himself up in his room, dead eyed and dead silent. He wouldn't let anyone or anything in, thought Sora suspected Roxas would be the exception. All hell was being let lose, and Sora found that, despite the big talk of 'family', he was standing alone.

But it was that family bond that made him positive Roxas had not abandoned him. The blond mas probably just as out of it as Axel, if what Squall had said was true. If they had told Roxas what Axel had confided in Sora...

"I have to find him," Sora mumbled against the mattress, mentally mapping his way back to Roxas' alley. "I'm sorry, Riku, but I have to find him. I have to go."

Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Sora thought that he say the silveret give a small nod when he turned away.

* * *

"Hey, Cloud, why do you look so pissy?"

The blond man looked back at Kairi, glaring. "You promised more than this. Where the hell is the profit? I don't get to kill Axel, Roxas hasn't been seen in days. Nothing is happening."

The red head laughed, "If you think that nothing is happening, you're blind. We've sent them into a frenzy."

Squall raised an eyebrow, putting an arm around his boyfriend. "What are you talking about?"

"You really haven't noticed?" Both men shook their heads. "Idiots. Xemnas is losing his control. Vexen has his hands full, Larxene is stressing without her 'mother' outlets, Axel is dysfunctional, Riku is down for the count. Add that to the fact that Roxas is probably questioning everything he knows, we've got it in the bag," she sighed wistfully. "That's the problem with these Black Jacks. They get too close to each other. As long as one is off balance, then the rest tumble with."

The two men looked at each other when the girl laughed again. She sounded like a maniac, but she had a point. They had only meant to upset two of them, but now the whole place was falling over. They grinned.

"Well, let's hope they don't piece it together."

* * *

Axel was trying everything he could to suppress his memories. He remembered watching Helena and Tony Royston in the months to their disappearances. He remembered their son, their life. He remembered wondering how he was supposed to ruin it.

_You know what you have to do._

_Hey, no worries, I'm an old friend._

_You're sure they're fine?_

He remembered Roxas, barely a teen, remembered the orders, the promises. It all haunted him. Those blue eyes under red hair. That man...

Axel knew that he looked horrible right now, perfectly aware of his sunken cheeks and empty eyes. Axel wondered how anyone could expect anything else of him. After learning just what his old partners thought of him, what they planned to do. Worse yet, was that he probably had no power to protect Roxas. His Roxy...

The image of the blond boy hit him like a brick to his ribs. It was from when they were dancing at the club, what seemed like forever ago. Maybe it was forever. Maybe Axel was dead.

He tried to push it away, but still he say Roxas, smiling up at him, the multicolored strobe lights flashing in his eyes. He pictured the way that the boy's blond spikes swayed when he shook his head, the way his lips moved. This had to be hell, and this was his punishment for his lies. Tortured forever by images of the one thing he'd never have.

There was a knock at his door, but Axel didn't care. He just lay there in his bed, wishing to go back to Gullwings.

* * *

Larxene was slashing at her food rather viciously, imagining it was Kairi's head. She knew, just KNEW that that little hag had something to do with Roxas being MIA. She wanted nothing more than to go up there and press her teaser to the red head's skull until her scrawny brain melted. Ultimate disownment!

"Song bird, you keep doing that, you'll hurt yourself."

"Xig, you got a weird way to call me 'Lark'," she sighed, turning to the scarred man. They were always close, even if they fought a lot. He was even closer to her than Marluxia, and that was saying something.

He smiled, "I know, but you look like you need some sweet talk."

She huffed, "I do not! It's not my fault that every one here is an ass."

Despite this, she didn't protest when Xigbar hugged her, holding her close. He rubbed her back in soothing circles, hoping to stop her shaking. "It's alright. Roxas is a smart kid. He'll take care of himself and be back once he's got this sorted out."

"But he didn't say anything! What if Leon... what if Leon hurt him? What if he doesn't want us anymore, or..." she trailed off, trying desperately to pretend her voice hadn't wavered.

"Everything is fine, song bird. It will turn out okay."

"No, it won't be. It can't be..."

"Why not?"

"I... I think I'm pregnant."

* * *

Sora was right to look for his brother. Roxas hadn't moved much from his alley in the last few days, stunned. He didn't want to believe it was Axel in that picture, but the more he looked at it, the less he could doubt it. His only evidence to the contrary was that Axel never pulled his hair back like that unless his job mandated it. Still, something in him just refused to believe it, and he knew that if he tried to go hom- back to the hotel, that something would break. No, it would shatter.

When Sora showed up, Roxas was sitting in his old box, using it to stay out of the chilling air. His shoebox was clutched tightly to his chest, and when he looked up, his oceanic eyes were shinning. "Sora?"

The brunet flinched at the roughness of Roxas voice. It was obvious it had been over worked these past few days. "Hey, Roxy. Why haven't you come back?"

The blond shrugged, not sure how to explain what was going on. There was so much he didn't understand, how could he tell someone else? "It's a very long story, Ra... I- I just don't know what to do."

"Well," Sora replied, smiling as sweetly as he could, "You could start by coming home to take a shower. It doesn't look like you've changed your clothes at all. We'll talk about it in our room, okay?

Roxas nodded numbly. He let Sora lead him away, only half listening to his rantings. Honestly, he was afraid to go back and face everyone after running off like that. It felt wrong to ask them to take them back when he felt so unsure. When he didn't know if he could look one of them in the face and not call them a liar. It terrified him that he might not be able to be part of that family anymore.

"Sora?" he started, interrupting a story about Vexen saying they were selling parkas in hell. "What would you do if I said that I couldn't stay anymore?"

The brunet remained silent, still walking towards the hotel. "I don't know," he whispered. "I would want to stay with you, but..."

"You need to be with Riku."

Sora blushed guiltily, sure he was sensing disappointment. It wasn't until he heard Roxas chuckle that he looked up again.

"He better take good care of you. I won't be that all the time anymore."

"Roxy..." the blond's flinch at the nickname didn't go unnoticed. "You're not upset?"

"Oh, I'm upset," Roxas said passively, "but having watched you and Riku, I can't ask you to leave him. He means a lot to you, and you deserve that, after what you've been through. Speaking of, did Vexen ever find that woman for you?"

Sora looked down again, "Yeah... She died of blood loss. But... they got the baby out, two months early, but healthy. They think he might live."

The blond nodded, holding Sora's hand lightly. There wasn't anything to be said, no condolences to be given. They both understood that this is what it was like to be a Black Jack. There was nothing to be done.

"So, why is Vexen selling parkas in hell?" Sora asked, quietly. "He got kind of mad when I asked him."

"If I remember right, it relates to something he said about not sleeping with Marly before hell froze twice. Looks like he lost that bet."

They looked at each other a moment before they broke out laughing. In that, all the tension and sadness and stress of the last days faded and they were just two runaways, hoping for the best. Two brothers just wanting a family.


	10. Chapter 10

Roxas knocked again on Axel's door, louder and more demanding this time. He glanced down the hall nervously, knowing he would get an ear-full if anyone saw him. Sora had sneaked him on the fire escape, through Riku's room. He wanted to know how Sora knew that Riku always left his window unlocked, but he didn't want to ask and remind Sora he was worried.

He heard Axel shift inside thee room, knocking something over. Still, no one came to the door. Roxas was about to give up; he had already knocked seven times. _Still,_ he reasoned. _I could always use my guest key. _He knew that Axel wouldn't like it, but the situation called for it. To hear Sora talk, Axel wouldn't last much longer in there.

It didn't take long for him to get in using his key card. Somehow, he wished he had just let Axel ignore him.

The room was a mess. All the picture frames were shattered, the furniture was over turned. Even the bar, usually immaculate, was splintered and covered with broken bottles, though it was all dry. The curtains were shredded, but drawn anyway. All of the blankets, pillows, and sheets were on the floor, tattered and ripped.

And there on the bare mattress, was Axel.

He looked worse than the room. His hair was limp and greasy, his face unshaven and nails uncut. His silk shirt was stained and wrinkled and his boxers were torn, though knowing Axel, they might have been like that anyway. God only knew where his pants got to.

What really worried Roxas was how skinny Axel looked. Granted, the red head had never been large, but through the tears in his shirt, Roxas saw ribs, and Axel's cheeks had begun to cave in. Axel looked like he hadn't eaten in a life time.

"Whoever's there," Axel mumbled, not opening his eyes, "just leave. I'm temporarily out of order."

Roxas sighed in relief when Axel shifted. "God, Ax. You look dead."

Axel's eyes shot open as the rest of him tensed. He had thought Demyx had finally grown a pair and used his key. Not... "Roxy?"

"Who else would they send to get you up? Out of order my arse," Roxas teased casually. It felt good, just to talk for a minute.

"Heh. You'd be surprised. I just can't function sometimes. Why don't you try it?" Axel smirked, opening his arms. This felt like old times. "We could take a long nap."

"Don't you spend enough time in bed?" Despite that, Roxas still went. He ignored the stains and the unwashed scent, curling up in Axel's arms like he had after Gullwings.

They were quiet for a moment, cherishing it. The comfort, the familiarity. It was nice to have it back.

"Roxy," Axel sighed, nuzzling the teen's golden spikes. "I miss you. So much."

"I miss you, too, Ax. I really do," Roxas croaked, holding back tears.

"But you're going to leave again, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Axel held onto his blond tighter, terrified that if he let go, Roxas would vanish. That he would never see those big blue eyes again, or listen to him laugh. Terrified that he might wake and find that Roxas had never been here to begin with.

"You know why."

"Because that jackass told you everything."

Roxas shook his head. "Don't blame Squall for the past. Its not his fault."

"But it's mine?" Axel countered, growling. "You hate me, but he gets off Scott free?"

"I don't hate you, Axel; I could never-"

"Then why leave?"

"Because this is wrong!" Roxas shouted, tearing himself away from the red head and standing.

Axel stood too, flinging his arms up, "Why is it wrong?"

"How isn't it wrong? After what you did, what you caused!"

"I knew it!" Axel said bitterly, tone dropping. His face fell into a neutral mask as realization dawned on the blond. "You do blame me. For every foster home, every lonely holiday. Every night you ever spent on the street, it's all my fault now."

Slowly, Roxas' eyes widened in shocked horror. It was true. Some part of him, however miniscule, however suppressed, it _hated_ Axel. It wanted to scream, it wanted to punch Axel for every second that Roxas didn't have his family, for every time he moved. It wanted revenge for every moment of happiness he'd lost. It _was_ Axel's fault.

"There are others to blame," Axel whispered. "Your parents, for joining in the first place. Xemnas, for the orders. Cloud, Squall, and Reno. Hell, even Lea. But you can't reach them, can you?"

Roxas looked at his feet, barely hearing anything. He didn't want this. Axel was right, it was a shred blame. Yet...

"I'm the one you can reach. The others are just air, really, too far gone. I'm tangible to you, so it's all _my fault_!" Axel knew he was ranting, and that it was starting to get real loud, real quick. Roxas hated him. Cloud and Squall hated him. Reno hated him. Lea and Helena and Tony hated him. And Roxas, his Roxy... "Always my fucking fault!"

Roxas flinched at the biting tone. "Ax, I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I don't want to-"

"But you do," Axel interrupted, stepping forward so that he was an inch from Roxas. He grabbed the blond's shoulders and spoke right into Roxas' ear. "Did you ever, even once, think about how this feels for me? Because of an order from _almost four years_ _ago_, I'm losing you and probably Sora. But that doesn't matter does it?"

Roxas looked up into Axel's eyes and they both knew. "No. No, it doesn't," Roxas whispered, shaking slightly. Axel's eyes scared him, but it wasn't because they were filled with hatred, rage, or betrayal. It was because the were empty.

Axel dropped his arms, stepping back towards the door. "Why would it? You're the tragic hero here. I'm the villain, the root of all evil."

The blond blinked rapidly, hoping to hide the shining in his eyes. "Yes! If I had been ordered to _murder _some one, I would have ignored it. You said you were a friend, that you would _help_! Not that you would take them away from me!"

"What else could I do?"

"You could have _left!_" Roxas shrieked. "You could have become an honest citizen! You didn't have to _kill my parent!_"

Axel's eyes widened and for a moment, he did know what to do. Roxas, on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted to do.

Run.

"Shi- Roxas!" Axel shouted, following the blond out the door. "Roxas, come back!"

But Roxas had the advantage of size. While Axel's legs were longer, Roxas was lighter and could fit through small gaps. So, when they reached the staircase, Roxas was able to slip between Xigbar and Larxene before they even realized who it was.

"Wha-" Larxene gasped, watching the blond blur disappear. "Was that... ROXAS!"

She started to go after him, but Xigbar caught her elbow. "No. You have bigger issues, you can't run after him."

"Bu-"

"Can you two MOVE?"

They both looked at Axel, who was looking completely panicked. "Please!" he shouted. "He doesn't get it. Squall lied, or... or he misheard. Something... something's wrong!"

"Then we should figure it out before we go after him," Xigbar said, placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder. "If you go now, it'll just upset him more. I'll call everyone together and we'll try to explain what's going on. Alright?"

"But Rox-"

"Roxas will be fine. He got along with out us, and he'll stay in touch with Sora. Now, both of you, go to the lobby."

"Jesus, Captain," Larxene mumbled. "When did you become the voice of reason?"

"I don't know, but it's kind of pissing me off. The second Vexen is out there to regulate, I'm grabbing some beer and the pants are coming off."

It didn't take long to get everyone in the lobby, though nearly an hour was spent convincing Vexen that Marluxia was NOT going to molest him, and another two to convince Marluxia that he couldn't. Still, once the floor was together, the two who were missing caused a lot of tension.

"Sooooooo," Sora drawled. "I take it the talk didn't go well?"

Axel huffed, glancing around like a caged animal. "It was less than preferable, true."

Maruxia gasped, "Roxy was _here_? When? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, I think," Xigbar informed, sharing his beer with Luxord.

Luxord chuckled, leaning heavily into Xigbar's arms. "He left awful quick. You think little Duck decided to fly off?"

Larxene sniffled, curling against Marly. "What are we going to do?"

Vexen sighed, "We need to know what happened."

"I can tell you what happened!" Demyx shouted, jumping to his feet. "That _FUCKER_ Kairi brought with her lied! And now Roxy hates us!"

"Dem, please," Zexion whispered. "Keep quiet. You'll wake the whole hotel."

"Zexion is right," Vexen said, though he wanted to throttle Squall. "Let's all just talk about this for now. Since this is the first meeting we've had in weeks, we should start with small problems. I'll start. Marluxia?"

The pink haired man perked up, flipping his ponytail back over his shoulder. "Yeah, Vex?"

"Xemnas has, unfortunately, agreed that you can start a garden in the court yard. You'll have a card at the desk in a week."

"How's that a problem?"

"I'm going to have to see you more often. Who next?"

Sora raised his hand. "I'm still worried about Riku... Is there anyway to-"

"Ra, we can't wake him up."

"Damn."

Larxene swallowed, glancing over at Xigbar. The eye patched man gave her a loaded look and glanced at Vexen. "Um... Vex? I think I'm going to need some time off."

"And why is that?"

"Well... You know Aqua? The new call girl? Well, she chickened out last second, and they needed a filler for her appointments and... well, something broke."

Marly went slack-jawed. "You're _not_!"

"I think I am. So, until I'm sure, I'm taking leave. After that, it depends."

Vexen nodded, making a mental note to look into that. Xehanhort wasn't one to let his girls go willingly, so there had to be more to the story. "Alright. You know, that's exactly why we're not supposed to meddle in their work."

"I know," Larxene said. "But they needed help. Besides, Aqua was so young, I was glad she got out. She's too young to sell herself."

"Anything else?" Everyone looked around, but no one talked. "Then that just leaves you, Axel. Talk."

"Well," he began, taking a deep breath. "Roxas... as most of you figured out, he's the Roystons' son. They changed their names to Heart when running from Xemnas."

Everyone nodded.

"Now, Roxas thinks I killed his family."

"Didn't you?" Xigbar raised an eyebrow.

"No. I told them to leave town, but leave Roxas. I was hoping that it would through off the trail."

"But... Tony-"

"Tony is dead, but that wasn't me."

Everyone except Sora looked shocked. Axel had explained it all to him before Roxas left, before Squall ruined it. "Ax, maybe... you should start from the beginning."

The red head turned to look at the teen. "Yeah. Get comfortable guys, it's a long story."

_(A/N: Sorry that it took so long to get these chapters up. I've been having some problems at home and just couldn't find the time. E'mm dno ryntan. Anyway, I should be able to get the next chapter up within a week. I'd also like to withdraw the review quoata, if only because it stopped working._

_Anyway, the next chapter is Axel's story and will all be from his point of view, flashback style. Dy dy vun huf.)_


End file.
